Denver City Council Meeting: Police Contract & Waste No More Debate - September 8, 2025

Hey Denver, it's time for the weekly general session of your Denver City Council.

Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for taking the time to join us for the Denver City Council's meeting.

Tonight, today is Monday, September 8th, 2025.

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?

Of course.

Yes.

Thank you for having us.

Hello, everyone.

Buenas tardes.

My name is Sam Guzamano with the CLC.

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

Please allow me a quick minute while I give instructions in Spanish on how to access interpretation.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Sam.

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, September 8th, 2025.

Council members, please join Councilmember Sawyer in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

One underground.

Councilmembers, please join Councilmember Sawyer 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.

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.

We'll call.

Council members Alpites.

Here.

Flynn.

Here.

Gilmore.

Here.

Here.

Heinz?

Here.

Cashman.

Here.

Lewis.

Present.

Farody.

Here.

Romero Campbell?

Here.

So Sawyer?

Here.

Torres?

Here.

Watson.

Here.

Madam President Sandoval?

Here.

Thirteen members present.

There are 13 members present.

Council has a quorum.

Approval of the minutes.

Are there any corrections to the minutes of August 25th?

Seeing none.

The minutes stand approved.

Council announcements.

Are there any council announcements this afternoon?

Councilmember Sawyer.

Thanks, Madam President.

It's that time of year again.

So twice a year.

This fall it's going to be Sunday, the 28th of September.

Meet us at 8 30 a.m.

at Montclair Wreck Center.

You'll pick up supplies, get some breakfast, and then head out to clean our parks and repaint some of our bus stops.

So please come and join us.

There's a sign up genius.

You can find it on our social media.

Please feel free to come and join us.

We'd look forward to having everybody.

I would say last year we calculated out we had about over 400 volunteer hours done by volunteers from District Five in our community to keep our parks and our bus stops looking fresh.

And as we know, people when they feel uh at feel see something that is clean and safe, they actually feel safer.

It can impact the way that they um experience the environment.

So uh excited to participate in that.

Please come and join us.

Thanks, Senator President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Heinz.

Thank you, Madam President.

Excuse me.

Thank you, Madam President.

Or blue Lulu.

Thank you, Madam President.

I am excited to be wearing the sheet uh the shirt.

I'm gonna have check my English today.

Um I am excited to be wearing the shirt of Teller Tigers.

If you don't know who the Tello Tigers are, you should.

It's actually Teller Elementary in Congress Park and today uh this morning uh we were at Teller Elementary to uh showcase the city of Denver's first fully electric trash truck.

And so I want to thank those uh second grade students who were there to celebrate the the uh unveiling of uh the new electric vehicle trash truck that Dotti will be bringing around the streets um and alleys in Congress Park.

I also want to thank uh Dotti for the um promises made, promises kept uh more than a few years ago um uh we promised to uh the neighborhood of Congress Park that the first electric vehicle uh trash truck in the city would be in uh Congress Park.

And so uh I want to thank our current administration for um uh agreeing to continue the promise made actually by our last administration.

So uh thank you so much.

Also, there's a proclamation tonight on consent.

Um this uh this month, September is National Service Dog Month, and um and I will be um uh not reading that here in the chambers, but uh but I do want to uh make a shout out to all of those who um help service dogs get trained and in the hands of people who need them.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Uh I wanted to let people know about an event that myself and Councilman Cashman will be kicking off the neighborhood engagement workshops, and this is to have conversations with our community about the registered neighborhood organizations.

That will kick off this Wednesday, September 10th from 6 to 8 p.m.

And we're starting in Southwest Denver.

We'll be making our way around the city and having these workshops throughout the city.

So this will be in Southwest Denver at Westwood Community Center, 1000 South Lowell Boulevard.

Um we will have uh, you know, refreshments, food, um, and refreshments for folks.

If you are able to RSVP, please do, um, as we will plan to have interpretation um as needed.

So uh come and join us and let's talk about our how we're gonna engage in our neighborhoods.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Councilmember Watson.

Uh thank you, Council President.

Uh, this uh Wednesday, September 10th, uh, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Uh neighbors are gathering in five points uh to have a discussion around Mestizo Curtis Park swimming pool and cultural arts um process.

Um we have had uh a delay or actually an extension of a delay of uh opening of the swimming pool from Mestiesa Curtis Park.

The park, the pool will not open until 2027.

This discussion uh from community led by community is to get information from Denver Parks and Rec and uh Denver Arts and Venues on really the full timeline and the ability for us to get that pool open for our kiddos.

So this is once again, it's gonna be at the armory at 2565 Curtis Street on September 10th from 6 to 8 p.m., a discussion of Mestizo Curtis Park swimming pool and cultural art uh discussion in five points.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Tarris.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, just wanted to share a shout out.

Uh the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Dr.

Cog recently uh presented some awards, and they awarded one of their Metro Vision Awards to the Denver People's Budget.

Um so I just wanted to give a shout out to the CPD team uh that uh Kiki Turner leads in the People's Budget for that recognition in the prior two cycles of funding.

They engaged over 6,000 community members and successfully budgeted three million dollars that were community identified and community selected infrastructure projects in their neighborhoods.

Um, really wonderful.

We just wrapped up a cycle that was in the West Area plan, and they're um starting up cycle three, so just wanted to acknowledge them in an award well uh acknowledged.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gilmar.

Thank you.

I wanted to let uh folks know uh that were laid off uh last month if they are still interested in support services to reach out uh to the union.

They can email myself.

Uh I will also um, because of the way and the manner in which um it was done um provide a letter of reference for anyone who is trying to gain employment, um, and so I have had many more people reach out to me as it has continued to be in the news because other laid off uh employees are bringing issues forward, and uh we are here to support you, and uh please make sure that you're reaching out.

There's gonna be a meeting scheduled um of folks um here soon, and so please make sure and reach out um to council members who have been very vocal.

Um, again, I want to um recognize council members um Lewis, uh Perity and Gonzalez Gutierrez for uh their action in bringing together uh informational meetings for people to uh get supports and information, especially around even getting uh an employment because the way in which it was done, um, folks were on the phone with their supervisor and their emails were shut off at the exact same time.

And so they were given no warning to download their workday pay stubs so that they could even go uh and get uh an employment benefits, and we know that especially for families with one adult and if you have children or your caregiving for others, uh any lag in those supports and resources through uh workers um through unemployment uh is so vital and important.

And so please know that uh we are with you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Gilmore.

Council Pro Tem Romero Campbell.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um I have two announcements.

One was just a thank you for everyone who was able to turn out for the event that we had on Saturday.

It was the wrap-up of the South by Southeast Summer Festival series of events, the heart of Southeast Denver, where you belong.

Uh it was a great turnout.

We had Denver Jazz Orchestra there and just a nice evening for people to come to come together and to build community.

Uh also wanted to uh make an announcement for a 5K running race that's on um Sunday.

And this is the El Grito.

Um, it's for to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.

But it started about 30 years ago, and my parents were part of it starting.

So Richard and Esther Romero and a whole group of friends um wanted to raise, wanted to one do a 5K, but to raise funds for um scholarships for kids to go um uh that are going to college.

And so this race went on for a number of years.

It kind of stopped during um the pandemic, but they are bringing it back.

It's gonna be at the Auraria campus this Sunday, September next excuse me, Sunday, September 14th.

Um, if you do walk up registration, it uh starts at 7 uh 30 in the morning, but the race actually starts at nine.

So if you want more information, um go to the website El Grito, L E L G R I T-O, the number five K at Comcast.net.

Um, and it's a lovely way to come together and build community, and it'll be at the Auraria campus this Sunday, 9 a.m.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Bertem.

Councilman Lewis.

Thank you.

I wanted to start with uh a thank you to everyone who attended my office hours.

We had a lot of great discussion and had the opportunity to learn about some of the um concerns in community as well as some celebrations that are happening as well in District 8.

Um, I wanted to give a shout out to everyone who had the opportunity, both in person or online to attend our conversation around civic assemblies.

Folks are very, very excited about the opportunity to potentially be able to bring a civic assembly to Denver.

Um it would be the first um uh to come to a major city in the U.S., so it's super super exciting.

So thank you, folks.

Um, and that conversation will continue, and I hope to be more expansive of um other council members and council districts, but we did have great represent representation from throughout the city, so that was super exciting.

Um Saturday, September 13th.

Um, I'm inviting you all to the Park Hill Park open house at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center, where we will have the opportunity to discuss what the potential um uh um design of the park could look like.

And then finally, I wanted to make you all aware of our budget book club.

Um, it's still being the details are still um being ironed out.

Um, however, this is a partnership with my council office, councilwoman Torres, Councilman Heights, Councilwoman Gonzalez Gutierrez, Councilwoman Alvidres, Council Councilman Cashman, and Councilwoman Perity.

Um, and we will be working with you all um to discuss the 2026 budget, and so on September 10th from 6 to 7 virtually.

Uh we will go through how to read a budget book and the priorities on September 24th from 3 30 to 7, it will be a budget happy hour, which will be very exciting to just kind of go over different parts of the budget, and then finally on October 4th, um, from 11 a.m.

to 1 p.m., it will be a comp uh a convening on the budget proposals and what council members may be um bringing in terms of amendments um to the November 3rd um meeting for council.

So that's it.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Alviderez.

Thank you, Council President.

Uh yes, I'm looking forward to the budget book club.

Um, definitely.

Thanks for helping putting that together, Councilwoman Lewis.

Sure.

Um, I wanted to share that the National Women's Soccer League will be having an open house in partnership with Denver Parks and Rec at Burndown on Broadway on the 11th.

So I think that's Wednesday at 6 30 p.m.

Also this Saturday will be a very busy Saturday in District 7.

We have Lincoln Broadway Corridor RO is having their summer festival and at 11 a.m.

Alamo Placita neighborhood is having their pancake breakfast at 9 a.m.

And also Oktoberfest will be this Saturday on South Pearl Street.

So come visit District 7.

It's a great time to spend a Saturday in District 7.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

This um Wednesday, my office is hosting our last series of yoga in the Elych's historic corral.

It's not in the park.

So we'll be doing yoga from six to seven, and we're partnering with Canopy Yoga.

This will be our fourth series on the last one.

It's been great.

So if you want to come down, it's on the corner of 38th and Tennyson from 6 to 7 this Wednesday.

And then similar to Councilwoman uh Sawyer, we're having a clean park cleanup at Rocky Mountain Park on Mark Your Calendars on this coming Saturday, September 13th from 10 a.m.

to noon.

Um just go down to Rocky Mountain Park if you're a North Sider, and if not, you'll just meet at the frog.

And if you know what that means, you'll know what that means at Rocky Mountain Park.

Just meet at the frog.

Um, no need to say any more.

So meet us at the frog at 10 a.m.

this Saturday.

Seeing no other council announcements.

There are no presentations, there are no communications.

There are two proclamations being read this afternoon.

Councilmember Watson, will you please read proclamation 1290?

Uh thank you, Council President.

Um proclamation number 25 1290, celebrating the dedication and bravery of crossing guards.

Um, whereas throughout Denver Public Schools, there are 53 active crossing guards working in our community, protecting our kids every day who are biking, walking, and using transit.

And whereas Crossing Guards work closely with Denver Public Schools, families, teachers, and parent-teacher associations.

And whereas, crossing Guards are a critical partner in the safe routes to school action plan's goal of doubling the rate of students walking, biking, and rolling to school from 14% to 30% by 2026.

And whereas crossing guards are dedicated frontline workers who protect the safety of our students, families, and staff each day.

And whereas they stand at our crosswalks in all conditions, facing dangers from traffic and at times hostility, yet remain steadfast in their duty, and whereas, despite these challenges, crossing guards serve with professionalism, patience, and care, becoming trusted protectors and everyday heroes to the children they guide.

And whereas their present presence provides not only safety, but also encouragement, kindness, and I can attest to that, and reassurance to the families of Denver, and whereas to countless students, a crossing guard smile and wave, and steady presence become part of the school day rhythm.

A reassurance that someone is watching over them with care and commitment.

And whereas the people of Denver owe debt of gratitude to these frontline workers who embody service above self and remind us all of the power of steadfast guardianship.

And the final whereas, it is fitting that we recognize and celebrate their courage, commitment, and invaluable service to our community.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council, Section 1, that the Denver City Council does hereby honor and commend crossing guards as frontline workers and community heroes, deserving of our deepest respect and gratitude in section two, that the clerk and recorder of the City and County of Denver shall fix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to Andrea Garcia, School Crossing Guard Manager for Denver Public Schools.

Thank you, Councilmember Watson.

Your motion to adopt.

I move that proclamation 251290 be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council.

Councilmember Watson.

Thank you so much, Council President.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate as a quote celebrity crossing guard for the last two years.

But prior to doing that, I have been haronged into crossing guard duties by some of the folks sitting in the audience today, whether it's at Whittier K-U-8 or it's at the many other schools throughout Define District 9.

I don't think anyone would be shocked that as a seventh grader, I was a crossing guard myself.

Standing in traffic, stopping cars like I was Batman, not Superman, because Batman was my favorite.

And having my fellow students walk by.

I smile every day that I uh ride by and I watch the kiddos seeing you and with glee, knowing that you're there for them.

And so uh thank you so much for your service, each and every one of you.

We had the first annual crossing guard summit this year.

We will be doing it every year as long as I'm here, because your work is essential.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, we'll call, Council members Albidres.

Aye, Flynn, Gilmore, aye.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye, Heinz, Cashman, Lewis.

Aye.

Parity, Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres?

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the vote and announce the results.

13 ayes.

13 eyes proclamation 1290 has been adopted.

We now have time for the proclamation acceptance.

Thank you so much, Madam President.

Um, Andrea Garcia and any of the members of the CrossGoard community that would like to join her.

Please come up to the podium, introduce yourself, and um share a few words um to uh the listening public and folks here um within the chamber.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for passing this proclamation.

I'm a big crybaby, so don't mind me.

I'm very proud of my team, not only today, but every day, as Councilman Watson said, the hard work that they put in, the things that they endure on a daily basis.

It's a tough job, but they're a tough team, and I am a proud, proud manager today.

And again, I just thank you for the humbling privilege and opportunity to stand here and receive this proclamation today.

It means a whole lot to me and the Department of Climate and Safety and my team members that are currently present.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I have messages.

If you want to just introduce yourself, thank you all very much.

Um we appreciate it.

And obviously, there's a lot of people who are out at their shifts right now, so I just wanted to thank all of them for being out there right now in the hot sun and uh taking care of our community's kids.

So yeah, thanks to them.

Do you mind introducing yourself?

Oh, yes.

Uh yeah, my name is Bradley Uveda.

Thank you.

Oh, dear.

Polaris Elementary over on uh Tree Mountain Park Avenue.

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, um my name is Angie Barress, and I work to the Mombello Middle School, and thank you.

Thank you.

Um, I'm Alison Torvik.

I'm at downtown Denver Expeditionary School at 19th and Lincoln.

So as you whiz by, I'm the one with the that's giving you that look.

Um I stopped someone from stealing a bicycle last year, who was just prowling around because every all the parents were looking at their kids and all the teachers were looking at these kids, and I was looking at these strangers, because you get to know the people on your corner.

And it's really it's a wonderful job.

I highly recommend it to anybody you spend 20 minutes on a corner with the same kids every day, you begin to understand the traffic patterns and what the problems are.

So thanks for your gratitude.

Thank you.

I'm Janet Schulenberger, and I work at Maury Middle School, which all I'm gonna say is it's the best school ever.

Don't start any trouble now.

Thank you all.

Councilmember Watson, will you please read proclamation 1291?

Uh thank you, Council President.

Um proclamation 251291, recognizing September as National Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

Um, whereas blood cancer awareness month is a global event helping to raise awareness of one of the world's most prevalent and dangerous cancers, blood cancer, and whereas September turns red each year, as a spotlight is put firmly on blood cancer and the impact it has on our communities and the urgent need for more action.

And whereas raising awareness of blood cancer, its signs and symptoms, and its impacts will help to improve early diagnosis, encourage policymakers to prioritize the disease, as well as help everyone with blood cancer feel connected and heard.

And whereas an estimated 1,629,474, 1,629,474 people in the United States are living with or in remission with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, MDS, and MPNs, and whereas approximately every three minutes, one person in the U.S.

is diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.

And an estimated and whereas an estimated combined total of 187,740 people in the U.S.

are expected to be diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma or myeloma in 2025.

New cases of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are expected to account for 9.4% of the estimated 2 million new cancer cases that will be diagnosed in the U.S.

in 2025.

And whereas these diseases are expected to account for 9.4% of the deaths from cancer in 2025, based on the estimated total of 611,000 cancer deaths.

And whereas organizations like the Mountain Region, Blood Cancer United, formerly the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and annual events like Rocky Mountain Light the Night that will be held this year on Thursday, September 25th at Wash Park or Washington Park, provide support and hope to thousands of families and survivors.

There is hope.

Let me say that differently.

Today, more than 80% of all patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma can be cured by current treatment approaches.

More dedicated funding and research is needed to increase the cure rate of all blood cancers.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council, Section 1, that the Denver City Council hereby acknowledges the importance of the annual recognition of September as Blood Cancer Awareness Month, celebrating the survivors of these cancers and remembering those whose lives were lost.

And section two, that a clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation that a copy be transmitted to Mountain Region Blood Cancer United.

Thank you, Councilmember Watson.

Your motion to adopt.

I move that proclamation 251291 be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council.

Councilmember Watson.

Thank you, Council President.

Each year I have sponsored this proclamation for the sole reason, in 2011, I was not feeling quite myself.

I was feeling ill and um didn't really know what was happening.

Went to my primary doctor who was my doctor for I think my entire time that I worked at my former company, which was uh 23 years.

I think back at that time it would have been about 17 years.

Um, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.

They thought first I had acid reflux and a whole host of crazy things that they couldn't figure out until finally they did a ultrasound and did a few other types of um blood work and identify that I was um stricken with um and there wasn't a um level four cancer, it was simply said it was advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

And what struck me as my primary care doctor shared the response with me, he began crying.

Um it's not really great bedside manner, by the way, um, but he began crying um because he's known me for a very long time and I've um have not been one to be ill, and therefore the um the misdiagnosis, and there are so many folks like myself, especially with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, where the symptoms are very similar to a whole host of things, and it's um often or not, folks who have uh really good health, as it appears to be, uh, maybe stricken by this.

Um, I went through about nine months of of of treatment.

Um, and it was successful.

I'm sitting here today because of the research done by scientists and by doctors, um, because of the numerous doctors that I spent time with and the hours in chemo, um, my mom and my husband sitting by my side um as I sat for sometimes eight hours a day having drugs pumped into my veins that I could smell from a mile away.

Um it is important at this time um for us to understand the importance of research, the importance of science.

Without science, without research, I would not be alive.

The remembrance of this month and all the folks who will benefit from the treatments I receive require that our government, federal, state, and local continues to invest in research, continues to invest in facts, that we do not pull back from the science of curing curable diseases.

Um I am grateful for the strength that I have, the family I have, and the doctors I had that finally diagnosed me.

And I am so grateful for the communities that keep this awareness going every day.

Um, keep these events happening every year to make sure other families um don't have to live through what my family did.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilman Torres.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Um, how fortuitous, Councilman Watson, that you would be um offering this proclamation, and I want to thank you for it.

Um over the past three weeks, I've been on a family communication chain about a niece in her teen years who was just diagnosed with um B cell leukemia.

Um we also have um lost a family member who con who came um was diagnosed with leukemia just before um he turned eight years old.

Um, and so the legacy of leukemia in my family is really heartbreaking, but also one full of strength and um love and learning.

I had no idea how difficult it is to find matches uh for bone marrow when you have leukemia, um, the difficulty in finding treatment um for the care that needs to be received.

Um, so just want to thank you for this and um sending the prayers out to my family.

Thank you.

Thank you both for being so vulnerable and sharing um such an important proclamation for just cancer awareness.

My father passed away of pancreatic cancer.

Um, and so I know how devastating cancer can be to a family.

So thank you both for sharing that.

Madam Secretary, we'll call.

Council members Albitres.

Flynn, hi.

Gilmore, Gonzalo Cutieres.

Aye.

Heinz?

All right, Cashman, Lewis, Parity, I.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres, aye, Watson.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

13 ayes.

13 ayes.

Proclamation 1291 has been adopted.

Councilmember Watson, who would you like to call up to accept the proclamation?

Uh yes, uh, Council President Courtney Kinney from Blood Cancer United Mountain Region.

Uh, Courtney, if you don't mind coming up and introducing yourself and sharing a few words.

Sure.

Hi, everyone.

Uh Courtney Kinney, I'm the campaign development director for our light the night walk.

Uh, that's coming up, as you mentioned, um in September.

And uh just want to thank both Councilman Watson and Torres for sharing your story.

I really really appreciate it.

Um, and just want to thank you all so much for this incredible honor uh on behalf of Blood Cancer United, formally the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

I'm uh honored to accept this proclamation recognizing September as National Blood Cancer Awareness Month here in Denver on behalf of our entire team.

This recognition really shines a spotlight on the thousands of individuals and families in our community impacted by blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other related disorders.

It also reminds us of the urgent need for continued research, advocacy, and patient support.

And locally, we're proud to share that last year alone, we provided 2.8 million in co-pay assistance to help patients afford their treatments and served over 2200 patients through education programs and support services right here in Colorado.

And these numbers represent lives changed and hope restored, made possible because of the generosity of our supporters and the commitment of our community.

Our new name, Blood Cancer United, reflects our commitment to uniting the entire blood cancer community, patients, families, researchers, donors, and advocates around one mission to save lives and improve the quality of life for everyone affected.

While our name has changed, our mission remains steadfast, funding research, providing free patient support and advocating for access to quality care.

So again, just want to thank uh the city of Denver and all of you for joining us in this important awareness effort.

Together, we can amplify the voices of those impacted, educate the public, and inspire action that truly makes a difference.

So thanks again for standing with us in the fight against blood cancer.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please read the bills for introduction.

From the community planning and housing committee, 25-1186, a bill for an ordinance changing the zoning classification for 815th Street in Central Business District.

From the Finance and Business Committee, 25-1192, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed revival and amendatory agreement between the city and county of Denver and Community College of Denver for the Denver Construction Careers Program Incumbent Worker Training Program Citywide.

25-1208, a bill for an ordinance amending ordinance number 400 series of 2008, as subsequently amended by ordinance number 1659 series of 2024, thereby increasing the number of board members of the Denver Downtown Development Authority, DDDA, and allowing for an option for city council members other than the current president to serve on the DDDA board.

25-1221, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed cooperation agreement between the city and county of Denver and Denver Urban Renewal Authority for the Rock Trail Property Tax Increment Area and Sales Tax Increment Area to establish, among other matters, the parameters for tax increment financing with it with incremental property and sales taxes in Council and District 9.

25-122, a bill for an ordinance approving the Rock Trail Urban Redevelopment Plan, the creation of the Rock Trail Urban Redevelopment Area, and the Rock Trail Property Tax Increment Area and Sales Tax Increment Area.

25-1223, a bill for an ordinance amending ordinance number 0304 series of 2015, which created and established the Rhino Business Improvement District to increase the number of members of the board of directors to be appointed and to increase the number of board members required for a quorum.

25-1237, a bill for an ordinance amending section 54-816 of Division 2 of Article 15 of Chapter 54 of the revised municipal code of the city and county of Denver concerning disposal procedure of impounded vehicles.

From the Health Safety Committee, 25-1029, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed agreement between the city and county of Denver and Denver Health and Hospital Authority to enroll patients in and provide women, infant, and children with services during pediatric and OBGOIN appointments at several Denver Health outpatient clinic locations.

25-1214, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed second amendatory agreement between the city and county of Denver and Skyline Fire Protection District for the city to continue to provide fire protection services for the Skyline Fire Protection District.

25-1228, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed agreement between the city and county of Denver and Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, HCPF, to receive payments from HCPF as incentives for providing Medicaid eligibility related work.

25-1229, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed sixth amendatory agreement between the city and county of Denver and Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, HCPF, to continue receiving payments from HCPF as incentives for providing Medicaid eligibility related work and 25-1241.

Bill for an ordinance adding a new section to Article 4, Chapter 8 regulating the sale of animals by pet shops in the city.

Council members, this is your last opportunity to call out an item.

Council Member Soria, will you make the motions for us this evening?

Yes, Madam President.

Thank you.

Now I'll do a recap.

Under resolutions, Councilmember Lewis has called out resolution 1202 for comment.

Under resolution for comment, council resolutions 1187, 1188 for comment and a block, and council resolutions 1224 and 1225 for comment and a block.

Councilmember Parity has called out resolution 1191 for comment.

Councilmember Gilmar has called out resolutions 0702, 1110, 1224, and 1225 for a vote in a block.

Councilmember Lewis and Parity have called out Council Resolution 1216 for a vote.

Under bills for introduction, Councilmember Lewis has called out Bill 1208 for questions, and Councilmember Parity has called out Council Bill 12 1029 for postponement pursuant to Rule 5.10.

Under bills for final consideration, Councilmember Parity has called out Council Bill 1079 for postponement to a date certain.

Under pending, no items have been called out.

Madam Secretary, please put the first item on our screens.

Councilmember Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on Council Resolution 1202.

I just have one question.

If we have chosen the right guy for this position.

Thank you.

Um, so I just wanted to call these items to recognize that the airport is working hard on tackling the energy demands out there in a way that is sustainable.

I appreciate the use of solar energy here and that there is thoughtful management of this project that will include a decommissioning plan and financial assurances for the array of it at the end of its useful life.

So just wanted to call that out.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens, Council Resolution 1224, a resolution approving a proposed purchase and sale agreement between the city and county of Denver, 4965 Washington Street, Alp, which by which the city will acquire a unit in the planned community being developed at 4965 North Washington Street for the purpose of establishing a Denver Public Library in Council District 9.

Council resolution 1225, a resolution approving a proposed land lease between the city and county of Denver and Global Redevelopment Partners LLC, which will be assigned at financial closing to 4965 Washington Street for the development of affordable housing units, a commercial community serving space, and the new Globeville Library at 4965 North Washington Street in Council District 9.

Councilmember Lewis, please go ahead with your comments on council resolutions 1224 and 1225.

Thank you.

So I was calling these items out tonight in a block because this is an exciting way of bringing a city library branch and much needed community meeting space and an affordable housing development.

Um I'm excited to see this model brought to other areas in the city on that share the same real needs for public places to meet and to read.

So love this project.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screen.

Oh, Councilmember Watson, go ahead.

I figured if uh Councilmember Laws gave the opportunity for a comment, I'll make one as well.

Um I see that um the team that brought this to us are in the audience, and I just want to say what an amazing um collaborative process.

Not only the opportunity to have that public library on Washington Street, but also to ensure that we have deed restricted housing for folks to be able to live in a community that they love.

Um we also have fantastic news that the funding for the street on Washington uh through the RISE bond um is fully funded.

And so sidewalks, um uh traffic calming, all of the things that we need with having a library and having more density, more folks living on that street.

Um, it's coming together.

So thank you all for the many months, years of work together, years of work uh together to make this happen, and I could not be more excited to be the legislative sponsor of this and a partner with you throughout this process.

So congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens, Council Resolution 0702, a resolution approving a proposed loan agreement between the city and county of Denver, 4965 Washington Street LLP to finance the construction and income restricted units to be leased at affordable rent to qualifying households in council district nine.

Council resolution 1110, a resolution of approving a proposed contract between the city and county of Denver and 4965 Washington Street LLP to provide funding for homeless homeless resolution project-based vouchers assisting with the delivery of permanent supportive housing units at 4965 Washington Street in Council District 9.

Council resolution 1224, a resolution approving a proposed purchase and sale agreement between the city and county of Denver and 4965 Washington Street LLP, by which the city will acquire a unit in the planned community being developed at 4965 North Washington Street for the purpose of establishing a Denver Public Library in Council District 9.

Council resolution 1225, a resolution approving a proposed land lease between the city and county of Denver and Globeville Redevelopment Partner Partners LLC, which will be assigned at financial closing to 4965 Washington Street, LLP for the development of affordable housing units, a commercial community serving space, and the new Globeville Library at 4965 North Washington Street in Council District 9.

Councilmember Sawyer, will you please put Council Resolution 0702, 1110, 1224, and 1225 on the floor for adoption in a block?

I move that council resolutions 250702, 251110, 25124, and 251225 be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council.

Councilmember Gilmore.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, we'll call on Council Resolution 0702, 1110, 1224, and 11 1225.

Council members Albitres.

Aye.

Flynn.

Hi.

Gilmore.

Abstain.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Hi.

All right.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Hi.

Aye.

Romera Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer?

Aye.

Torres?

Aye.

Watson?

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, we'll close the voting, announce the results.

12 ayes.

12 ayes.

Council resolution 0702, 1110, 1224, and 1225 have been adopted.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens, Council Resolution 1191, a resolution approving a proposed revival and amendatory agreement between the city and county of Denver and Centro Humanitorio para Los Trapajadores to continue administering work ready Denver, which builds a pipeline of talent into jobs that are experiencing significant labor shortages by providing individuals who are on the path to work authorization access to education, training, and employment opportunities citywide.

Councilmember Parity, please go ahead with your comments on council resolution 1191.

Yeah, I just wanted to call this out for comment that people will remember during the last budget cycle, a commitment that we had from the administration to actually increase the funding for this program so that it could continue adding new uh people and new cohorts to the end of 2025.

And what we're seeing here instead is um not an increase in funding, it's just uh expanding the scope of the contract, but without funding to bring in more individuals.

And so that's um, I mean, I know the budget situation that we're in, but that was not um where things were left with us at budget time last year.

So I just wanted to call it off and make that remark.

Thank you, madam president.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens.

Council resolution council bill 1208, a bill for an ordinance amending ordinance number 400 series of 2008 as subsequently amended by ordinance number one six five nine series of 2024, thereby increasing the number of board members of the downtown development authority, DDDA, and allowing the option for city council members other than the current council president to serve on the DDDA board.

Councilmember Lewis, please go ahead with your questions on Council Bill 1208.

Thank you.

Um, I just have a few questions uh for 1208.

The first one is um why are we only expanding the board by two members?

Good afternoon, Council Donna Wilder, Department of Finance.

Uh, I am the program manager of the Denver Downtown Development Authority.

Um, I coordinate the activities of this board.

Uh thank you for the question, uh, Councilwoman Lewis.

Uh the reason why we are expanding to seven members from the current five members is because in the amended plan of development that this council uh adopted in December, it contemplated expanding uh the board to represent an expanded boundary within the district.

That boundary uh was contemplated on expanding to a potential uh area in our central business district, um, however, at this time, in order to actually expand that boundary, properties have to petition into the district.

Um, and so we want to preserve some of these board seats uh to represent uh the folks in that area once that area has uh formally been expanded, so it'd be preserving those seats for future expertise.

Okay, thank you.

Um, so I understand that you all are shifting board members partially based on the um vacancy with the RTD representative, and so I'm I'm curious as to why you all would um essentially not start from scratch as opposed to um swapping board members in and out, like start the board completely over.

Yeah, thanks for that question.

Uh so the we have two um that's going to be uh an ask action from city council that's coming at a subsequent uh time to uh recommend appointments and reappointments to the board.

Um this expansion just contemplates adding two new members uh to the board um and uh those two board members uh that we are recommending will come to um the governance and inter uh uh intergovernance committee um at a later date.

Yeah, I'm I'm sorry, I may not have been clear on my question.

I understand I understand that the five to seven, I was just more curious as to the actual folks who are sitting in those seats outside of the RTD representative.

It sounds like those folks would move, would stay in those four seats instead of five, um, and then you'd find two new board members to get you to the seven.

And I'm just curious because the DDDA is expanding so greatly, like why not open all of them up and provide an opportunity for newer folks to come in?

Yeah, thanks uh for the clarification.

Um, it is important for us to have uh some uh knowledge sharing of those new members so that they can get up to speed.

Okay.

Um, and it's a very complex structure, as you probably know.

And so we want an opportunity to educate those two new members, and we felt that um keeping two existing members um recommending for them for reappointment would allow us an opportunity to to have that knowledge sharing.

Okay, that's super helpful to know.

So, what are the current demographics of the board?

Um, is it comparable to the surrounding areas?

Uh the uh existing board, there's a five-member board currently.

Uh four of those members um represents um property owners and developers within the current district.

Okay.

Uh the fifth member is uh council president uh Sandoval uh who serves as an automatic board member.

Um, and so uh it's really important for us to uh diversify uh the backgrounds and expertise of this board.

Okay.

And then my final question is are there rent renters represented on the board?

Yeah, renters.

Do you mean can you clarify uh a residence living within the district?

Yeah, like someone who rents versus owns within the district.

Yes, uh, so as I mentioned, we will um under a separate action be uh recommending two um appointments to this board.

One is a resident within the current district, um, and then the other is a uh business lessee who operates within the district.

So when I when I say renters, because I want to make sure we're using the same language.

When you say when I say renters, what do you hear me saying?

Like someone who rents their home versus owns their home.

I'm using it in that sense, okay.

My understanding is that they are a renter.

Got it, okay.

Yeah, got it.

Okay, that's my only questions.

Thank you.

Great, thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens.

Council Bill 1029, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed agreement between the city and county of Denver and Denver Health Hospital Authority to enroll patients in and provide woman, infant and children services during pediatric and OBGYN appointments at several Denver Health outpatient clinics at clinic locations.

Councilmember Parity, what would you like to do with council bill 1029?

Um I would like to uh postpone it for one week.

Thank you.

No motion is required concerning um required council bill 1029 has been postponed until Monday, September 15, 2025.

And Council President, I'm so sorry.

Could I say one thing about the reason?

Just for everybody, um essentially the understanding that this is because of the larger fundraising landscape or funding landscape, I should say.

Um Denver's WIC program has really severe delays, and my office has just been uh concerned about that.

Um, and so we've had questions into Denver Health trying to understand a little more about um in addition to this funding, which I know will help what else they are looking at in terms of how else they fund that program, what funding losses are impacting at what's causing the delays, just trying to understand that a little bit better because it's so consequential for the city.

So if anyone else is looking for that information, um let us know and we'll loop you into that conversation as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

No motion is required for council bill 1029, and it has been postponed until Monday, September 15th, 2025.

Madam Secretary, please put the next item on our screens.

Council Bill 1079, a bill for an ordinance approving a proposed contract between the city and county of Denver.

Oliver View County Group LLC, a development of approximately 6.69 acres located at 1717 East 39th Avenue in Council District 9.

Councilmember Parity, what would you like to do with council bill 1079?

Sorry, give me one motion or one moment I'm just navigating there.

No power.

Um I'm calling this item out for postponement to a date certain of Monday, September 15th, 2025.

Um, at the request of staff, this is to delay consideration until after the public hearing for its companion items, all of which will occur on September 15th.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This Madam Secretary will call on the motion to postpone Council Bill 1079 to a date certain.

Council members Albitres.

Hi.

Flynn.

Aye.

Gilmore.

Aye.

Gonzalez Cutieres.

Aye.

Heinz.

Hi.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Aye.

Parity.

Romara Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer?

Aye.

Torres?

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting announce the results.

13 ayes.

13 ayes.

The motion to postpone Council Bill 1079 to a date certain has passed.

Madam Secretary, please put the NICS item on our screens, Council Resolution 1216, a resolution approving the collective bargaining agreement between the city and county of Denver and the Denver Police Protective Association for the years 2006 through 2008.

Councilmember Sawyer, will you please put council resolution 1216 on the floor for adoption?

I move that council resolution 25 1216 be adopted.

It has been let me get back up.

Let me get it caught up.

Madam Secretary, the it's still 1079 is on our screen.

Apologies, it's a strangely large agenda this week.

I'm finding the item.

No problem.

Thank you for your patience.

Perfect.

Councilmember Sawyer I put it on the floor, and it's been moved in second comments by members of council.

I have Councilmember Lewis and Parity in the queue.

Councilmember Lewis, go ahead.

Thank you so much.

So I'm voting no on this, and here's the reason why.

We have paid five million one hundred and nineteen thousand in settlements against the Denver Police Department in 2025 so far.

Those are funds that are drawn from a liabilities claims fund that must be refilled from the general fund, which has an impact on all of us in the city, especially in times of economic stress like we are facing now.

And I can't in good conscience vote to raise the salaries of those employees in this current budget environment, which will reduce the amount of general funds for the rest of the city, while also approving settlements after settlements that further reduces the general fund, especially when the civil service commission is pushing changes to more lightly disciplined officers who commit wrongdoings.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Parity.

Yeah, I in looking at the amounts of these raises, um, it just gives me pause because we're about to vote on a city budget, and we don't know whether that will include raises for other city employees or in what percentage.

Um I was very um grateful that the budget we received last year, um, retained four percent average raises for city employees across the board.

Um, but I have no idea if, you know, where we'll be um after this next budget.

And what we're looking at in this contract is a four per a four percent raise followed by a six percent raise, followed by a five percent raise for a subset of employees who also haven't been impacted by furloughs and giving up pay for that reason.

Um, and so I just um before we, you know, while we're still in the dark as to what they were will proposed budget-wise for the rest of our employees.

Um, I don't feel like I can vote yes on this.

And I do want to point out that um, you know, in um in 20 a couple years back, the um council voted no on an agreement um that would have given raises to police that would have started in 2022 for a similar reason, and those were three percent raises.

Um, but it was the same idea that you know, other city employees were um were not looking at raises, and so it's equity between the different departments.

Hopefully, this will correct itself somewhat once people across the city can unionize and there's not that disparity, but we're not there yet.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gilmar.

Thank you.

Uh I appreciate um both of my colleagues um calling this off, and uh, you know, um having been council president uh back in 2020 when this council voted down the police collective bargaining agreement, it um was a tough vote, but it was the right vote to do because there were two things at play.

One was the mayor's office hadn't consulted with city council before they started bargaining, and we weren't at the table.

So we took care of that with a memorandum of understanding that myself at the time as council president and mayor Hancock signed so that that scenario would never happen again.

The second reason, though, was because we were in the pandemic, we were in financial constraints, we didn't have businesses open to even bring in sales tax revenue.

And I remember councilman Cashman, I was serving with you as well on the Mile High Flood District board, and I was the president of that board, and they wanted to give their staff a big raise during that time, and it was unpopular.

It wasn't only Denver elected on that board, it was also Jeff Coe, Doug Co.

Boulder, Aurora, Adams County, and I have to say I am very proud of that Mile High Flood District Board back in 2020, because even the Republicans on that board understood that in Denver because the Denver City Council was contemplating voting down the police collective bargaining agreement, because the raises were not in line with the city's values, and I remember that board meeting with the Mile High Flood District because I was the chair of it, and folks were none too pleased that they weren't gonna be able to give the raises that they thought that they could give to the staff, but even the Republicans on that board voted down those raises because they knew that it was important to stand in solidarity, to look at equity, and to make sure that our values are represented in the budget of this city, the collective bargaining agreement is a agreement with the bargaining units to promise them those increases.

This mayor and this administration were not truthful with this council about the budget when they were presenting this collective bargaining agreement to the council.

I could ask the question, but I know the answer already.

This council, no one on this day, has ever received a spread sheet from the Department of Finance with even a three-month projection of the costs and the revenues to this city.

But what we do know is that last month, after great anticipation and anxiety, city employees were laid off, and the majority of those city employees were from human rights and community partnerships.

They were the go to organization that for me as a community leader in Montbello for the last over 20 years almost going to them to get support for sign language for ADA accommodations for immigrants and refugees, cut.

No plans to put the money back, no plans to fill that, and then Office of Children's Affairs got cut too.

I don't know how many times we have to say the same old stories over and over again, but because we are the elected officials in these seats, if you ask any elders in a community of color or a marginalized community, do more police make you safe?

No, they do not.

Police show up after a crime is committed.

We do not live in a military state.

I know federal government is trying to go there, but we do not in the city and county of Denver, Colorado, live where we're going to allow Mayor Johnston to give police raises and then take away supports for people in the aid center.

When I pushed back against them cutting the aid center, you know what I was told?

People don't go in there enough and take advantage of the resources, people go in there and drink their coffee and charge their phones up, huh?

If we want to mitigate crime and addiction and mental illness, maybe we should have more locations in the city and county of Denver for folks to go to get a cup of coffee, to borrow a cord if they need to, to charge up their phone, to get out of the heat, to get out of the cold, to maybe come down after doing drugs for the nth time.

But you know what?

This is the time that because of relationships that they've made with people, that person's gonna ask them again, is today the day?

And I pray that they have some place to go for that person to say, right on, we're gonna get you into treatment today.

The police do not do this work.

In 2020, I had to go up against police chief payson and have very strong conversations with Mayor Hancock.

And Chief Pazin was blaming me and another council member that you're making it dangerous on our city streets.

It's because of you to loudmouthed women, you're making it dangerous for people.

I don't carry a gun.

I don't even have pepper spray.

All I have is my voice.

And when the men in power think that even by a woman speaking and speaking the truth, they're dangerous.

We must speak up and keep speaking up.

I am against this.

We cannot criminalize homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness.

In 2020, police chief payson and Mayor Hancock did not want to put the money towards the support team assisted response star.

They did not, it was a pilot.

That was their excuse.

It's a pilot.

We don't even know if it works.

Well, you know why I supported it?

Because not long after we started talking about it, there was a case in Montbello.

And it was the case of a family that had struggled for years with a child who had mental illness.

The only help that the family could ever receive if their child did not stay on their medication or did not stay on a routine was to dial 911.

That was the only way for them to get help.

So they had called 911, the police came, arrested the child, the adult child, arrested them.

The police are like, you're calm down.

You didn't commit a crime other than scaring your family at home, we have to release you.

So they released them.

The mom went home frantically looking for her, she found her daughter stuffed in the trash can outside the home.

Her daughter was killed by her son, the police were not there to protect them.

But the star van, support team, assisted response, would have been.

They could have de-escalated it.

If we had recovery beds, we could have gotten him into care.

We still don't even have recovery beds in Denver.

So if this council votes on this collective bargaining bill affirmatively, they're saying that it is okay to put somebody in jail if you act out, if you're making others in a public space uncomfortable, if you're talking loud and making people feel a certain way, and they call the police, they're coming because we're not gonna have a support team assisted response anymore.

There is no out.

And in the last 10 years, the most grotesque and horrific part of this job that no one tells you about, is what we hear behind closed doors in executive session, is what we hear that people who are paid by your sales tax revenue of go buying a shirt or whatever in Denver, that's who pays the police salary, Michael Marshall, Jessica Hernandez, Paul Cassaway.

Are we gonna pay people more and not be able to hold them accountable?

The Office of the Independent Monitor is speaking loudly about this.

The Citizen Oversight Board is speaking loudly about this.

Latino people are killed two times, if not more, by police, black people, three times more.

We just recently had officers who were out at Denver International Airport and who gave some DJ a ride on Pena Boulevard, an I-70 with lights on, with their body camera turned off.

All they have to do is clip a car, and there's rollover everywhere on I-70.

You know who pays when that the family member sue, the taxpayers do.

You pay for those settlements.

I know it's scary, but I'm I will maybe try and back in.

I'll go ahead and let Councilman Watson go, but I'll finish up with this.

Councilwoman Torres in the Denver Right article back in September 14th of 2020, history repeats all the time, said the economic outlook doesn't look so rosy.

Guaranteeing a raise for police would be a difficult decision to explain to my staff and others who are getting furloughed, Torres said.

The guaranteed raise could come on the backs of other city employees, the vast majority of whom cannot collectively bargain, said Councilman Cashman.

As we look into the future, it's a pipe dream to think that revenue will miraculously return to pre-pandemic proportions where the money is flowing and we can honor our workforce with the salaries they deserve.

We are struggling because the chief of police right now is trying to reduce the discipline for officers.

Well, you know, if they don't write a report right, if there's an accident between Aurora and Denver, you know, they could do better at that.

Okay, if there's a police, if there's a car accident between Aurora and Denver, great.

Have them watch a video for it.

But you know, officers write a bunch more reports, they write rape and there is no evidence to gain justice for them.

We have the fiduciary responsibility to be accountable to the citizens and the residents, and not even the citizens, the people of our city, because you don't need to be a resident, you do not need to be a citizen to get supports in our city.

The native deaths by law enforcement are in Colorado.

Native deaths by law enforcement in Colorado is the highest in Denver at 31%.

In Denver.

31%.

Only second to well, there's a lot of 7.7s.

Aurora, Lakewood, Pleblo, but Denver.

And so I have to ask this council.

Are you willing to amend your values in what we say about equity and support this?

Or are you willing to vote this down?

It will be brought back, and they will negotiate it again.

If they come to an impasse, it will go to an arbitrator.

So all this council is doing by voting this down is saying the situations have changed.

We were never presented with an accurate budget, thereby we cannot vote on this tonight.

Thank you, Council President Sound of all.

Councilmember Watson, we have to switch over in about three minutes.

So I don't want to cut you short.

Do you want me to take a three-minute break and then go to public comment and then come back?

Thank you, Council President.

That would be my recommendation if that works for you.

Okay.

Just wanted to check in.

Okay.

So Madam Secretary.

Do I do the announcement?

Remind me what I do.

Sorry.

The pre-recess announcement.

Yeah.

Okay, so the pre-recess.

Okay, perfect.

Thank you.

Tonight, council.

So just so you all know, we're gonna come back to um council resolution 1216, approving the collective bargaining agreement between the city and county of Denver and the Denver Police Protective Association Intel public comment because we have public comment that I have to queue up in about three minutes.

So this can this conversation will be um continued after 5 30.

Tonight, council will hold a required public hearing.

Let me take that back.

Tonight, council will hold required public hearings on council bill 1070, changing the zoning classification for 2501 South High Street in University.

Council Bill 1137, approving the amended and restated 27th and Lammer Urban Redevelopment Plan, and on Council Bill 0628 concerning recycling and organic material diversion and in connection there within repealing and reenacting Article 10, Chapter 48, adding a new Article 11, Chapter 48, and adding a new Article 15, Chapter 10, and amending Article 1, Chapter 24 of the code.

If there are no objections from members of council, we will recess until 5 30 p.m.

Before convening the regular meeting, city council will provide a half hour general public comment session to hear from the public on city matters, except for any matter that is scheduled for a legally required public hearing.

The general public comment session will begin at 5 p.m.

In about seven minutes.

Using the same water, rural communities need somewhere to sell the resources and goods that they're producing.

Urban communities rely more than they know on those open spaces, and so you look at these webs of imports and exports, and there is just, there is not a boundary there.

We're also learning, finally, hopefully, that the dollar is not the fundamental value that everyone shares.

What's at stake?

It's the future of the Colorado we all love.

It's the Colorado that we've grown up with or that we've moved out here to be around.

You know, we love going to the mountains and seeing a mountain stream.

We love recreating on our rivers and reservoirs.

We love having an adequate water supply in our homes and our communities.

And they are slow and difficult and contentious and so necessary because we all want Colorado to be a place that will live forever.

And water is the key to that.

But more importantly, we need to learn from what's happened and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Eisenhower wants this highway put through, so we're gonna do it.

They came to my aunt and they told her we're gonna take half of your house.

Their family is still paying taxes on that, still to this day.

We survived and we're survivors here.

Whatever happens, we're going to survive and we're going to make the best of this.

They could walk to community gathering places, schools, grocery stores, creameries, businesses, and local jobs at the nearby packing houses.

In essence, they were the shining example of the sustainable communities we are aiming to build today.

But as the packing house industry became more automated, neighborhood people lost their jobs and the local economy and community began to suffer.

The turning point came when I-70 was built, and it drove a wedge through these neighborhoods.

The Gloville, Illyria, and Swansea neighborhoods were sometimes left to wither on the vine.

Hello, I'm Councilwoman Judy Montero, and I've spent several years representing Council District 9.

And during those years, I realized sometimes history is only told by those who show up.

And the stories of Gloville, Elyria, and Swansea were not being told to my satisfaction and the satisfaction of the neighborhood people.

We wanted to change that, and so we brought together residents of these neighborhoods so they could tell their own story of history, perseverance, and pride.

We met at Maya's restaurant and talked about family life, the economy, history, the turning points of the neighborhood, the lessons learned, the promises broken, and how we move forward from here.

We hope this discussion was just the beginning of documenting our rich history and just the beginning of a new history in the making.

We're at the park, and someone came up.

You better get home because I want to call your mom and let her know.

You're not, but it was it was an idea of people caring for each other, and that that was something that I think everyone that grew up their experience, you know.

So that was very nice.

Yeah, that was our village.

You know, they say it takes a village in.

We definitely had the village.

My mom raised eight kids there, and she worked at Rich State Home and Training School, and she worked hard so that she could get us out of the project.

You know where she moved?

Across the street.

So she didn't want to leave the neighborhood because it was a great neighborhood.

We were married at uh St.

Joseph Catholic Polish Church.

The preacher was quite elderly, Father Gazinski.

And uh, so you know he had to hold on to the altar boys to put the altar.

They had a procession for their wedding under the Vidock.

We walked from the church under the Vida to our house with musicians leading under I 70.

Yes, yes.

It's amazing, guitar and a violin player.

I don't know if there were more churches or more bars, but the point was that there were many.

There was John's drive-in on 38th and Brighton Boulevard.

Then he had another one.

Hey Denver, it's time for the weekly general session of your Denver City Council.

Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

All right, thank you for that little music.

Well, we got some music at council.

All right.

Council will now reconvene from our earlier session.

Um, we will continue with the consideration of Council Resolution 1216, a resolution approving the collective bargaining agreement between the city and county of Denver and the Denver Police Protective Association for the years 2026 through 2028.

Council Member Watson, I have you first up in the queue.

Thank you so much, Council President.

I first want to start by saying to each of my colleagues that spoke before me uh that this topic and the issues that you elevated are important.

It's important to ensure that we as elected officials, as legislators, and simply as community members and myself as a black man, um, that we hold accountable those who have chosen to serve us.

And we make sure that within, whether it's in policy, whether it's in a law um process, that we make sure that folks who are within our public safety um teams that are not abiding by the rules that are providing um that are not providing equal and safe protection for all um Denverites, that we hold them accountable.

That is our commitment, and tonight's vote on the police protective association, the PPA, um, the community the collective bargaining agreement um has no bearing on our ability, from my perspective, our ability to continue to hold accountable those who go outside of the law and go outside of their mandate to provide a safe community for all, including folks of color, and including for myself as a black man.

I speak tonight to be clear of what's before us, or at least from my perspective, what I'm being asked for as a city council member representing uh city council district nine.

I'm being asked to vote yes or no on a collective bargaining agreement that was negotiated between the city and Denver Police.

We have executive session in which we speak with our city attorney on all of the architecture of the collective bargaining agreement.

We have opportunities for additional briefings throughout that process.

Each of us have an opportunity to provide our feedback and to engage fully within that process.

That will be the same process for all bargaining units that come before this body.

Beginning in 2027, all city agencies will be able to engage in bargaining units based on their interest.

I intend to be consistent in the way in which I treat all collective bargaining agreements and the due diligence of our city attorney staff and those who are engaged in that process.

First, I wanted to also share that I know that in this time of budget cuts and impacts to the over 176 families impacted due to layoffs.

That is an impactful and hurtful time for our city employees, our former city employees, and our current city employees that are bearing the load of um of those reductions.

And the decisions that we make here in council for our budget process and over the next several months, we have a responsibility to make sure that we treat our budget process and our investment in our employees with the respect that they deserve, and that we stand with our employees strongly today, whether they have CBAs or not, that we stand with them and we ensure that our word to them as legislators to not make their job and their work any more difficult.

I was not a city council member back during the beginning of the pandemic, but I paid very clear, careful attention to what that process looked like and the impending impact to city employees that were was forecasted and the impacts across the city and county of Denver.

I worked a few blocks from here, the company I work for faced um quite a bit of impact.

I chose to retire in 2020 based on impacts to the company I work for.

I want to share to the listening audience and folks here in the chamber that uh during the 2021 COVID um pandemic and ensuing um budget crisis.

All recognized collective bargaining units, that would be inclusive of police, fire and sheriff, gave up or deferred negotiated compensation increases.

As a matter of fact, our Denver fire, whom we're not speaking about tonight, deferred on other occasions as well.

I believe, as far as my individual briefings, my individual engagements on this collective bargaining agreement, and as a council member, I was provided the opportunity to understand fully the contract, to listen carefully to the city attorneys who negotiated the outcomes, to participate actively within executive session on all negotiations, and tonight's vote for me as the city council member representing District 9 is a commitment to each of the individuals and the teams that participated in collective bargaining to be consistent and to be in solidarity with them, as they have been in solidarity with all city employees each and every time they have been asked.

Once again, I understand the difficulties of what we are facing and what city employees are facing based on our budget.

I also understand the importance of standing in solidarity with collective bargaining agreements and those that negotiate it to ensure that we remain consistent within our process, and as a city council member for District 9, um, I take that extremely seriously, and I will be supportive of this CBA.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilman Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Thank you, Madam President.

I think this unfortunately comes to us at a time that is a very difficult time.

As we are facing, according to our Department of Finance, a budget shortfall of 200 million dollars going into 2026.

And there were just 170 plus employees laid off.

And we also have had furloughs happening right now in 2025, which includes some employees that hold positions that are not funded by general fund dollars and would not have an impact or contribution back to general fund.

However, they are being made to still take furlough days with the idea to be in solidarity and consistency with all city employees.

In fact, some of those positions are also being made to furlough right now.

And so that's what I have a concern with at this point in time is the equity of this matter, fairness, and the fact that we don't know what 2026 has to hold when it comes to even raises for city employees across our city.

And so I find it premature to approve something and approve a raise raises over the course of the next few years when we don't know what that future has to hold.

And so I cannot support this tonight.

And I think out of, you know, when we're talking about fairness, solidarity, equity, consistency, right?

All of these words that are very similar meanings, then I think we we need to uphold that.

And I really appreciate and I do want to thank all the work that has been done.

I know that these collective agreements don't come through very quickly all the time.

I think this one may have been a little bit different.

Um, but I want to say that um I appreciate everybody that's been involved in those conversations, and I would hope that you, if depending on the outcome of this tonight, um, that you would be able to continue and go back into those conversations with the hopes that we can continue to stand in solidarity in equity and in consistency.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Council Pro Tem Romero Campbell.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh yes.

Thank you, Madam President.

Yeah, Madam Chair.

Yeah, yeah, Madam President.

Um thank you, Madam President.

Uh, I'll just make my comments real brief.

I just wanted to um say representing you know Southeast Denver District 4.

Um, I feel like we have had an opportunity over um well over a month or a couple months um and multiple executive um briefings with our city attorneys um as to the progress of the um collective bargaining as it has gone through.

Um, I feel comfortable with what's being brought before council today.

Um, I do think that uh, again, evaluate them each on their own merit, but I am comfortable um being a yes on this this evening um and to be able to move this forward.

So thank you, and I appreciate the comments of my fellow council members that we can have this dialogue and be able to um share our opinions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Torres.

I thought I was further down.

Thank you so much, madam president.

Um I fully remember my vote in 2020, and I don't regret it.

We were not at the table uh like council should have been at the time, and I recall when that negotiation went to arbitration, we lost.

Um, I also know that since negotiations started this year in July, um, we've received daily updates um of every day that negotiation was taking place.

Um all along, we could voice our concern or opposition or request changes, have those discussed, brought forward, back and forth.

That's what the negotiation period is, and it moves forward only with the feedback and consensus from us and the administration representing the city to a final package, and that's what we're looking at today.

So it isn't just a first and best deal, it is a negotiation.

Um, we're about to start collective bargaining for all city employees.

Um, something I know we have all supported, and perhaps for this very reason that employee groups will see their CBAs honored by this body after they've been negotiated in good faith.

Um, we have also unanimously unanimously approved the collective bargaining agreement for fire earlier this year already, even after we knew what the budget cuts were going to look like and that um layoffs were likely.

Um it includes raises, and we're about to start a collective bargaining agreement for sheriffs.

This doesn't end, it is um a constant turn that I assume will likely include raises.

Um, if we come to the table in good faith, I think I should honor my word at that table.

I know my colleagues who will vote against this do so with conviction, and I respect it, and I fully respect them and their position, and I know that we'll continue to do work together for STAR, for our neighborhood safety, for community-based solutions, for a better responsive um city for all of the things that our neighbors call us about, call 911 about, call 311 about, that does not change.

Um, but I will still be supporting this particular CBA tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Cashman.

Yeah, thank you, Madam President.

Um, yeah, I will also be supporting this for the some of the reasons my colleagues said having to do with the collective bargaining process that we've been through, collective bargaining in general.

Um as far as solidarity goes, um, I guess a great opportunity for the Denver Police Department.

Um, in that uh uh City Council staff is subject to furloughs.

City council members are not.

Um, most of the members I've talked to, and I'm not gonna speak for anybody else, are gonna be writing a check for something like seven furlough days out of solidarity with with our city workers.

I think it would be a great thing for uh the union to present to its members, and for the chief to present to his uh uh personnel to stand with city workers, and and uh take some fur furlough days, pay for some furlough days.

This is a unique time that we're in right now.

Um the other thing, well, uh one time.

I repeat some stuff that I've said in these chambers uh a number of times.

One is I believe we need uh well-staffed, well-trained, well-paid police department.

I do not know what the numbers should be.

I know what our quote unquote authorized strength is for DPD.

I don't know if that's the number of cops we need or not.

That's for someone else to try to figure out, but I do know that we cannot arrest our way out of crime.

Uh that's not my idea.

That's come from uh a couple of police chiefs I've talked to, a couple of district attorneys, city attorneys, uh chief justices of the Denver courts.

You know, we need cops because things are out of control because we've done such an abysmal job of investing in our families in mental health and education.

I mean, Colorado is notorious for underfunding education, underfunding metal health.

What in the name of God is that?

How can we hold our head up and think that that does not affect what we're doing?

I'd like to make our cops' jobs easier.

And the only way to do that is we need to come up with the dough at a time when we have none to throw around to begin the process of balancing the equation.

You can't get away with underfunding child care, after school programs, making sure kids have enough to eat, making sure parents have the support they need when maybe by their upbringing they're not fully prepared to raise the kids they've been blessed with.

We got to come up with money, folks, and there's no um golden parachute anywhere is gonna come out of your pocket and our pocket.

But we've got to do it.

And if it takes balancing the budget in a different way, then that's what we need to start doing.

And I will be looking to see if uh uh the police department decides to join city council in in taking some unrequired furlough days, sending some money back to the city, and I'll be very anxious to see the mayor's budget this year, and I hope it's it's creative in ways that uh I don't really expect right now.

Thank you, madam president.

Thank you, Councilmember Alviderez.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, I will echo a lot of things all my colleagues have said.

Um, over the past several months, we have all been engaged in this process, and the truth is a lot of the questions and concerns that we are raising today should have been asked much earlier.

I want to acknowledge that because I share the discomfort that many of my colleagues feel.

It feels wrong and almost gross to be approving raises for one department at the same time, laying off staff in other areas that address the root causes of crime, the Office of Children's Affairs, Human Rights and Community Partnerships, and other vital services, and yet I am going to vote in favor of this, not because I agree with that choice or the mayor's choices at all, or the departments that he gutted because I do not, but because these times we need to keep our city united and we need our police.

We lost the 2020 PPA arbitration after council rejected a ratified contract, and voting this down now could be just as fruitless.

It would put us right back in the same place without leverage and without stability.

We also have to remember the reality.

And if we don't act responsibly, the alternative is that the president could be sending the National Guard or worse, and that would only further divide and destabilize our city.

Our officers are not perfect, and this isn't a seal of approval, but we must be honest, they have followed our city's protections and people's rights in ways that set them apart from our federal agencies and other jurisdictions, and that matters.

If we allow this department to be underpaid and understaffed, what will happen is not reform or progress.

It will be wealthy communities hiring private security just like I see in my district, while working class and historically marginalized neighborhoods are left behind, and that's not justice.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gilmar.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, John Um Griffin with the City Attorney's Office.

So a lot of folks have mentioned that while we're getting information from you, that when people make a commitment to you, is that a binding commitment to you?

To Jonathan Griffin, deputy legislative counsel to me personally.

When we are looking at the spreadsheet, um and we talk about it in executive session, I've been privy to many of those.

Um, when you do the one-to-ones or when we're an executive session, and we do a straw poll.

We don't um vote, of course, in executive session, but um, as a former council president, um, I knew I was always advised that um don't bring something to the floor unless you have at least seven soft commitments so that it isn't a show up here, and so that we don't have something come through negotiations and then you do only have two people supporting it.

So could you explain?

Because I think a lot of folks, um, my colleagues have alluded to that during the executive sessions, they made commitments in some way that are now binding as they vote up here, and I would love for you to clarify that if you could please.

Sure.

Um, I think I'm understanding I can't speak for any person who's spoken up here, but council's vote at this moment is the vote of that makes a decision if that this is this is the official action of council.

So everything prior to this would be an unofficial action, so to speak.

Very good.

Thank you so much.

I really really appreciate that because I think that that's super important for the public to understand that um, you know, there's questions that are asked in in executive session.

Um I could also um verify um that as the executive sessions were going on, there was never a budget shared with anyone, nothing was ever sent.

So this council is going off of the word of the department of finance.

Is that true, John?

Did was there ever a budget shared or anything like that?

Or I mean, pretty much the information that is presented to city council is the word of the department of finance.

I in regard to the city budget.

The mayor's I I don't know what people are saying.

I mean, yeah, I'm not sure.

I'm not sure if I'm not sure.

In negotiation with um with folks around the table, is the department of finance present?

Yes, okay, so the department of finance is present during the negotiations, department of finance um is there.

Um did the department of finance, John, ever share with you to share with council president and pro tem to share with council any sort of financial supporting documentation.

I mean, I don't know if I ever asked for anything, but certainly Department of Finance always provided any information that any call any member of council would ask for, and we're always very transparent about how much things would cost.

Um yeah, I I mean I they never I never didn't get a number that was asked for by a member.

Okay, so I appreciate that.

So you got a number for costs, but you never got a full breakdown of the costs, like what a spreadsheet looks like, you know, profit and loss, you have income, you have expenses.

You would ask a qu a council member would ask a question, how much does this cost?

And you would get a number in response, correct?

Okay, all right, yes.

John said yes about that.

So we don't know what it actually costs.

Nobody up here could tell you what the status of the city is right now in relationship to the current budget and the proposed budget that by charter, the mayor has to provide to this council by September 15th.

There is no information.

So this council, whoever votes affirmatively for this, is going with the police.

They are okay with more officers being hired to be placed into Montbello and Green Valley Ranch to stop kids driving in their cars to see if they're gonna get in trouble.

We're not even paying for place network investigations, which a majority of this council loved.

We're place network investigations to go out and look at a site, make sure there was proper lighting, trash removal, et cetera.

That's not gonna be taken care of in this.

We are giving raises to police officers without any social supports in the 2026 budget.

We don't even have staff to do those programs.

So by folks hiding behind or talking about that they made a commitment, there was nothing binding.

This is the commitment to the people of Denver today.

Our vote will say what an individual values.

If you value police, or if you value community, and that means children's programs, that means human rights and community partnerships, that means supports for refugees and immigrants, that means supports for brown and black people in our city, trans, LGBTQ, IA, who are also harmed by the police at a higher rate than others.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Sawyer.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, I'm really concerned about the tenor of the conversation that is going on right now, and I need to say something about it.

Cross-examining our city attorney is not acceptable.

John, I want to say thank you for working so hard on doing such a great job of keeping council members informed through this whole process.

Whether we vote yes or no is up to us, but I want to acknowledge the great job that you did during this process.

Every police officer in Denver, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for getting up every morning and putting on a uniform and going out onto our streets and risking your life for us.

Thank you.

Whether a council member votes yes or no on this contract is not a reflection of who they are, it is not a reflection of picking sides, it is not a reflection of anything other than the 13 people up here saying, this is what I believe the voters who voted for me would like me to do, and here are the reasons why.

Everyone up here is allowed to have a different opinion.

That is democracy, and that is healthy.

What is not healthy is passive aggressive comments towards other council members, judging them publicly for how they might vote.

It is treating our staff members inappropriately, frankly, in violation of the council's anti-bullying policy.

I will be supporting this contract tonight because the residents of District 5 want me to vote yes on this, and it is my job to represent them.

And I don't have a problem with the process that was put in front of us.

I was here in 2020.

I voted no on that police contract.

That process was messed up.

I don't regret that vote at all.

But tonight, I can say with 100% certainty that there is no problem with this process.

So if you want to vote no as a council member up here, because that is what you believe in your morals, and that is what you believe your voters said that they wanted from you.

I fully support you in that.

And what I ask in return is that you fully support me in doing my job without belittling me, without calling me names, without suggesting that I am somehow in cahoots with our police department.

Come on.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Gilmar.

Thank you, Council President.

I have witnessed many other council members at times bring city employees up, bring others up to the podium, that interrupted them, et cetera.

Um I did not interrupt John at all.

I asked John a series of questions, and he answered them.

I can we please stay on this contract, please.

I would love that.

But if someone is saying something about how I engaged with another person, please go back and watch the video.

Um there's plenty of other videos um around that.

Uh no one interrupted at that point.

John was able to answer fully.

And so if we're not supposed to have these difficult conversations in these chambers, especially because by the time that something bad happens, and it gets to us, and then we have to approve a settlement, none of us can vote against a settlement.

This is the time to have that conversation, because once there's a settlement, if we vote against it, that would make the victims go back through the entire process again.

It would be a good thing.

I will go ahead and gladly will vote.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So thank you all for hearing our comments.

Um, as we consider the collecting a bargaining agreement for our police officers, I'm mindful of the challenges that our city faces.

A family member of mine got laid off.

It's not easy to sit up here when your family calls you and say they have lost their job.

And dear friends that I have worked with, I've been here for it since 2012.

It's not easy up when you're sitting up here when we are the approval authority for the 2026 budget, and we haven't seen it yet.

We comes out September 15th.

That is not something that is easy.

Normally, when you're in a negotiations and you're working on a budget, um, hopefully you would be part of that process.

And the the way the process folds out is the mayor gets to propose a budget and he gets to deliver it to us on the 15th of September, and then we have budget hearings and we'll have a deliberative process, and that's what we'll that's what how it's been played out.

It's been played out since I've been starting with the city since 2012.

Um at the same time, when I just was teamsing my council aide who does constituent services for me in council district one, I am constantly asked for more police presence.

I'm constantly asked for more police officers to help with speeding, help with traffic calming, help with um things that happen with police officers.

I don't think I've ever gotten one email since being elected in 2019 that says we do not need more police officers.

Not once.

Even when I was a council aide for seven years, I did not get emails that said we did not need more police officers.

In any organization, we get there are bad actors.

There are.

There are bad teachers out there.

There are bad traffic officers.

There's bad police officers.

There's bad elected officials.

In every group of employment group, there are, I think it's like the average.

I'm in business school right now.

I think you have to average out for 10%.

10% are bad actors.

Do we want to not support everyone because of those 10% of bad actors?

No, I will not.

And so my vote tonight is for this contract that we got very good information on.

And in 2020, that vote has come come up often in the conversation tonight.

I also voted no on that contract.

And what I experienced in 2020 was I got a call from our city attorney office, our city attorney, saying that the contract was ready and it was coming to city council.

And any collective bargaining agreement, it's the mayor's office and city council that have to be in the entire process.

We were not in that entire process at all.

And I had to call the police chief at the time, who used to be my commander, who I knew very well, and tell him I was gonna vote no.

And it was not a no vote on the police, but it was a no vote on the process.

And at that time, Councilmember Gilmore and um councilman Torres set up an MOU, a memorandum of understanding that clearly places city council at the process.

We got the letter that said that the process for the collective bargaining agreement was starting, and we went through the negotiations.

I sat there, I I did ask questions about our fiscal budget.

I did ask questions about what kind of raises.

I did push back on certain things that I heard.

I was very, very I made phone calls when he was at the collective bargaining table, and when I say he, it was John Griffin, who represents us, our city attorney.

And so I just want to say that as the council president and as the representative for Northwest Denver District 1, I will be supporting this because once again, as councilman Sawyer said, that is what my community more times than not has asked me to do.

So with that, Madam President, roll call on council resolution 1216.

Council members Albitres.

Aye.

Gilmore?

Nay.

Gonzalez Cortierz?

Nay.

Heinz?

Aye.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Nay.

Parity?

Nay.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer?

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

Nine ayes.

Nine ayes.

Council resolution 1216 has been adopted.

This concludes the items to be called out.

All bills for introduction are ordered published.

Council members, remember that this is a consent or block vote, and you will need to vote aye.

Otherwise, this is your last chance to call out an item for a separate vote.

Councilmember Sawyer, will you please put the resolutions and proclamations for adoption and the bills and final consideration for final passage on the floor?

I move that the resolutions and proclamations be adopted and bills on final consideration be placed on final consideration and do pass in a block for the following items.

And this is a huge list, and I think they're all 25 series.

1294, 1194, 1195, 1196, 1198, 1199, 1190, 1191, 1210, 1155, 1156, 1157, 1158, 1159, 1160, 1161, 1164, 1165, 1166, 1167, 1168, 1169, 1170, 1171, 1172, 1173, 1174, 1175, 1202, 1211, 1212, 1213, 1021, 1025, 1130, 1131, 1132, 1133, 1134, 1135, 1136, 1181, 1182, 1183, 1189, 1209, 1231, 1232, 1180, 1193, 1215, 1097, 1098, 1176, 1178, 1179, 1185, 1187, 1188, 1217, 1218, 1219, 1220, 1138, 1127, and that's it.

Well done.

It has been moved and seconded.

Madam Secretary, roll call.

Council members Albidares.

Aye.

Flynn.

Aye.

Gilmore.

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Heinz.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Aye.

Parity?

Aye.

Romera Campbell?

Aye.

Sawyer?

Aye.

Torres?

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval?

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results.

13 ayes.

13 ayes.

The resolutions have been adopted and the bills have been placed upon final consideration and do pass.

There are two proclamations being read this evening.

Councilmember Torres, will you please join me in reading proclamation 1292?

I started.

Sorry, sorry about that.

Whereas a proclamation 1292 honoring the retirement of Penny May.

Whereas on June 3rd, 2025, Penny May, Denver International Airports Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer announced her retirement from the city and county of Denver, effective June 30th, 2025, after more than 28 years of dedicated and impactful public service to the people of Denver.

And whereas Penny's distinguished civic career began in 2003 as a city council aide, followed by service as the Denver City Council's Deputy Liaison for Special Projects, where she coordinated complex legislative initiatives and neighborhood outreach and whereas her commitment to good government next led her to become the director of excise and licenses 2009 to 2011, modernizing the city's regulatory framework, and then executive director of Denver Human Services 2011 to 2015, where she strengthened safety net programs that served tens of thousands of Denver residents each year.

Whereas Penny subsequently served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Michael B.

Hancock 2015 to 2018, advising on citywide policy and operations across three mayoral administrations before joining Den in December 2018 as deputy chief of staff.

And whereas at Den, she quickly rose to acting executive vice president and chief commercial officer 2020 to 2021, and in September 2021 was appointed to the permanent role where she guided all commercial strategy, including the airport's industry leading concessions, airline affairs, air service development, business technology, and business operation functions, and whereas Penny's leadership helped shape Den's culture through initiatives and diversity, employee engagement, and strategic planning, and during her tenure at the airport, secured and launched new nonstop international service to Paris, Dublin, Istanbul, and Rome.

And we're as a champion for equity and small businesses, Penny integrated equity, diversity, diversity and inclusion requirements into every single den competitive procurement, resulting in more than 22,100 contracts awarded to certified local small businesses since 2020, while modernizing procurement systems and reducing average contract execution times from 293 days to 118 days and whereas, under her guidance, the concession master plan introduced the small business enterprise concession certification, awarding seven SBEC contracts and welcoming 40 new brands to Den, 26 of them homegrown in Denver, and whereas her remarkable journey, beginning with a degree from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, and culminating as one of the most respected leaders in Denver's civic and aviation communities exemplifies versatility, vision, and an unwavering dedication to public service.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council that the Denver City Council hereby recognizes and honors Penny May for her extraordinary contributions and lasting legacy.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude and our warmest wishes for a joyful and well-deserved retirement, and that the clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to Penny May.

Um I move that proclamation 1292 be adopted.

It has been moved and seconded.

Comments by members of council, Councilmember Torres, you want to start?

Happy to.

Penny, I didn't even know you had life in City Council.

That was actually new to me.

So I appreciate knowing that, and um just watching your graceful march through city agencies that you've been able to uh shepherd and guide through really difficult times since 2003.

We think about all of the things that the city has gone through and all the ways that you've been able to help support city agencies and communities.

I'm just incredibly grateful for your leadership in all of those spaces, but also your friendship.

You're just such a warm and generous person.

So also really honored to know you.

Thank you, Penny.

Thank you.

Council Pro Tem Ramero Campbell.

Thank you.

Um, I just wanted to say congratulations on a retirement and all of the listing.

I had no idea.

I only knew you through as a community member and working within the nonprofit sector when you were at human services.

I think that's when we first met.

Um, but I remember how incredibly gracious and helpful and just welcoming to all of the questions and the things and the and the process that we were having at that time, and I had worked at Mile High United Way.

Um, and I just want to thank you for all of your service.

Incredible, incredible mortuary science, though.

That is that is a skill, and I'm just gonna leave it at that.

That's it that is a skill, so it served you well.

Um, but congratulations to you and um to all your service for the city.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Thank you, madam president.

Um, congratulations.

You made it made it through.

Made it through the city maze.

Um, and uh thank you for for all your years of service, Penny.

I um had the opportunity to um interact with you in 2011, not under good conditions.

I remember you were serving as a director for human services, and I was just a lowly, you know, caseworker utilization management when we had a um facility, uh a big um residential child care facility that had to be closed by the state because of some poor practices, and we had a lot of very high need vulnerable youth at that facility that we had to place somewhere else on a whims notice.

And I just remember um you coming in, you came to our emergency meeting that we held, and I remember saying, um, or asking you, I hope that you can trust, you know, us as experts and know that you know we have um that that we have the best the interest of these children of these youth in mind, and I hope that you can trust us as you know, the staff members who who know these things inside and out um to make sure that we keep these kids protected and and and do what we need to do, right?

Um, because I think we had dealt with other leaders who maybe come in and say, Well, this is what we're gonna do, but instead you you listened, right?

And you said absolutely, I know that you all hold the expertise um needed to get through this difficult situation, and you trusted us.

And so I thank you for that, um, and best wishes.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilmember Gilmar.

Thank you.

Um Penny, we've um known each other for quite a while, and um I remember when you shared with me that your um family um had a long history um in the mortuary business, and how important of a job that is, and how there were times that you had thought, well, am I gonna keep doing this or should I go back and do that?

Because you help people at the very moment that they are most vulnerable, and you give them respect and dignity.

And so that is always how um you have shown up as well as a very witty fighter when you needed to.

And um I have seen that side of you as well, um, and where um, especially as a woman in these roles not backing down when others um try to um stop you from doing what you need to do.

You always kept going forward, and um I honor that in you, and um we'll try to emulate that as I move forward.

So thank you so much for your service, Penny.

Um, thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Flynn.

Thank you, Madam President.

There you there you are, uh Penny.

Uh I was surprised when I ran into you at uh lunch about two, three weeks ago when you told me that you would retired.

I had no idea you had that in in your immediate future because you don't look like your retirement age, right?

But uh moving on to you know, moving on to other things is always is always good.

Uh probably won't surprise council councilmember Torres, but I met Penny in this in the halls down here when I was a reporter when she came on to city council.

But I swear it had to have been before 2003.

Was it only 2003?

It seems like longer ago that I first met you.

Um but congratulations on your well-earned retirement.

I do have to say that uh anybody who did not know you and your skills and your successes who read your who read this proclamation might think that you had trouble holding down a job because you moved around so much.

But we know differently, and we value uh your service here tremendously, and we're very happy to see you go off on a well-earned retirement.

We hope that you enjoy it and come back and see us sometimes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilmember, Councilmember Sayer.

Thanks, Madam President.

Um, Penny.

Okay, if I see you, then I can't speak into the microphone.

If I move it over here, then I can see you.

I'll make a quick ditto to everything my fellow council members have said.

I just wanted to say congratulations and thank you for your commitment to our city.

Thank you for the sacrifices that you have made um to stay here and do all of the things that you have done.

You have been an extraordinary asset to the city and county of Denver, and you will be sorely sorely missed.

And I hope that you go put your feet up on a beach somewhere and do something absolutely amazing, like nothing for like three weeks after this.

So thank you for everything and congratulations.

Thank you.

Councilmember Cashman.

Yeah, thank you, Madam President.

Uh way to go, Penny.

Great decision.

Great decision.

Um I I hope you have a blast in the next chapter.

Um my experience with you is every interaction with you was uh met with great good wisdom.

Um great sense of humor, and and I've just appreciated a great deal.

And uh uh my suggestion was going to be I see director Washington uh in in the audience tonight, and this will only uh ring true for the elders in the crowd, but I thought you might consider renaming one of the runways to be Penny Lane.

All right.

Well, maybe maybe Bannock Street from City Hall.

Thank you.

That's all, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Lewis.

Okay, Penny Lane is really cute, though.

I do kind of love that.

Um Penny, thank you.

As uh a new, well, formerly biz chair, and then now the um new chair.

I came into work that already existed, work that was already moving prior to me coming to council, and you were very kind, um you're very gracious.

You would take the time to answer any of my phone calls, any of the questions I had, and to walk me through the work that you all were already working on.

And it has been a pleasure to work with Den, because I've had the opportunity to work with folks like you, Penny.

So thank you for your service, and I hope you have an amazing time.

You deserve it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Heinz.

Thank you, Madam President.

Ms.

May, um, I'm also having um technical challenges.

I can use the microphone or now I can see you both, and I can both see you and talk in the microphone.

Um, I have been vice chair and and chair of Biz for five years.

So I had the opportunity to work with you.

Um said with other leaders here, uh den leaders in the audience.

Um for a couple of years, we were the third busiest airport in the world, and now that you're leaving, we're dropping.

Is that on purpose?

Are we just losing yours so much leadership that we're now what down to number six busiest in the world?

So no, but seriously, uh, congratulations, and uh I hope we I hope this isn't the last we've seen of you.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Watson.

Penny, I don't think we've had the opportunity to do as much work with each other as many of the other folks on the dice here, but our interactions have been um have filled me with knowledge and understanding of the way the city works and respect and love for the work that you all do at Den.

I gotta tell you, in 2020, I uh fake retired, and look where I'm at here.

So be very careful when you do that retirement as to what the next chapter is.

But um much love to you and your family, and hopefully you take uh great time for yourself to enrich others in ways that you choose to.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Oh, Penny, where do I start?

Just say thank you to the dedication to Denver.

Thank you to the dedication of always seeing the glass half full.

Um, thank you to always being there.

Um, I think I first got to know you.

I think we was, I was trying to figure out when I first heard your name.

I think it was with my sister Kendra when she was working for the administration, and you were guiding her in some of the work that she needed to do, and um needing just an ear to lean on or to ear for advice and someone to lean on, um, strategic advisor, and then I've gotten to go to a couple places with you and always just have great memories.

Um, and you're always just so insightful and just really thoughtful, and I always just appreciated that about your leadership, and sometimes when you're um in hard times, you just need a steady hug, and someone just to smile and say you're gonna make it through it and it's gonna be all right, and that has totally been you, and your smile and um infectious laugh will absolutely be missed at the airport and throughout Denver.

I was talking to Phil Workman the other day, and he was remembering when you guys were council aids together, working on a project.

And um, so you have so many deep roots and so many people out there who are supporting you that you probably don't even know of.

Um, so just thank you for your 28 years of dedication to Denver.

What a legacy to leave behind.

And I just look forward to seeing what you do next in life.

Madam President, roll uh Madam Madam Secretary, roll call.

Council members Albi today.

Flynn, Gilmore, Gonzalez Cutieres.

Aye, Heinz.

Hi, Cashman, Lewis.

Aye, Parity.

Aye, Romera Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye, Torres.

Aye, Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

13 ayes.

13 ayes, proclamation 1292 has been adopted.

We now have time for the proclamation acceptance.

And who would we like to invite up?

I'm invite Penny, and I know that we have Director Washington here, so anyone from the Den crew who'd like to come up, um, please feel free.

Thank you so so much.

Um, I have been so blessed to work for the city that I was born and raised in, and to give back, and it has been an immense pleasure.

I appreciate this acknowledgement.

Um, I actually thought I would be in the moratorium business for my entire career, made a pivot, and found the best unplanned career a person could have.

So I thank you all.

All right.

Councilmember Torres, will you please join me in reading proclamation 1293?

Is it me again?

You start.

All right.

Proclamation 1293 honoring Andrea Elbo.

Whereas Andrea Albo, a proud Denver native, has dedicated more than 27 years to public service leadership, driving transformational change in large organization through policy reform, system strengthening, and improving the experiences of employees and communities they serve.

And whereas Andrea joined Denver International Airport Den in 2019, a senior vice president of culture and strategy, leading precedent-setting initiatives in strategic planning, wellness, employee engagement, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, business development, workforce development, and creating the first of its kind center of equity and excellence in aviation.

And whereas in 2022, Andrea was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff at Den, supporting the Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff, and overseeing strategic planning, performance management, equity initiatives, and operationalizing key priorities for the CEO and whereas prior to her distinguished tenure at Den, Andrea served as the first chief of staff for the Denver Sheriff Department, leading the implementation of more than 400 reforms, and spent over a decade at the Denver Department of Human Services at the Deputy, as Deputy Executive Director guiding local, state, and federal programs focused on marginalized communities and generational poverty.

And whereas Andrea's leadership and impact has been recognized nationally and locally, including being named a USDA champion of change, leader of the year by Denver Peak Academy, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Trailblazer of the Year by Airport News Experience, and one of the outstanding business women in business by the Denver Business Journal.

And whereas Andrea is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Colorado, Denver, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of State and Local Government, the Latino Leadership Institute, and a DEI master certified practitioner, embodying lifelong learning and transformation, transformative power of education.

And whereas Andrea has served her community through far beyond her professional roles, including on the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation Board of Governors, Biannual of America Board of Directors, Denver Preschool Program Board of Directors, and the Denver Racial Equity Council.

And whereas in September 2025, Andrea will begin a new chapter as the executive director of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, SCFD, following a national search where her people-centered leadership will guide one of the nation's largest cultural funding organizations into its next 35 years of advancing access to arts, culture, and science for all residents of the Denver metro area.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Denver City Council, Section 1, that the Denver City Council recognizes Andrea Elbow for her exceptional service, visionary leadership, and steadfast commitment to advancing equity, excellence, and community impact in Denver and beyond, and two, and section two, that the clerk and recorder of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that a copy be transmitted to Andrea Elbow and her family.

Councilmember Tor, uh, okay.

So we did that.

I move that proclamation 251293 be adopted.

It's been moved and seconded.

Comments by member of council, Councilmember Torres.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um I am honored to call Andrea, my friend, but I respected her even before she was that.

Um I watched her navigate at human services in new roles at the sheriff's department and at the airport.

Um, and uh watched her take really challenging situations with grace and with thought and with warmth and thinking about all of the people involved and not just what's easy, what's fast.

Um, and so um thank you for your service to all of those departments.

Um, can't look at you anymore because I'm gonna cry again.

Um, thank you for your service to the city of Denver, and I know it doesn't stop.

Um I'm honored to be this county's rep on the SCFD board um and look forward to working with you.

I think you are the most epic pick for leading that organization because it relies so heavily on how and why we love our communities, our counties, and it is usually because we're tied to an experience at a nonprofit, an arts not profit, a cultural nonprofit, a science nonprofit, and those shaped our experiences, knowing who we are in each of our neighborhoods.

Um, and I think you can do that best because you come from one of those neighborhoods, Valverde, um, that shines um pride and resilience and fortitude.

Um, and it's crazy to me that we only met as adults because we learned later in life that my aunt and Andrea's mom, you know, caused havoc in the streets of West Denver together.

Um, and we but we never met, and so I'm just so grateful that our cause did end up crossing, um, our paths end up crossing, um, because you um enrich my life and those around you.

So thank you so much, and I look forward to your next journey.

Thank you.

Councilmember Alvidres.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Um, it makes me so proud to see you in this position at SCFD, and I know that you will take this to the next level because you always do with everything you do.

You take everything to the next level.

And to know that you're the first woman of color to serve this organization is very powerful, and it's a great leadership, and I'm already proud knowing that you're gonna do an amazing job at this, and that this isn't even just about Denver, this is a whole district, and you've already been talking to me about how you are gonna make sure that you cover all of the whole area of the SCFD.

And so you have been an inspiration for a long time that I don't even remember how we met, but I've known I've known you for such a long time.

And I feel like in community we become like family when we just continuously see each other, continuously support each other.

There's very few people when I decided to run for office that I knew like would be in my corner, and you were definitely one of them.

Um, and it's just so amazing to see.

And I grew up right by you too, because I grew up in Athmer Park, so I don't know how we probably did meet.

We're probably little kids together, um, running around and didn't realize um that we grew up together, meeting your parents and how proud they are of you has been really amazing.

And now I understand why you're so chinguana because I met your parents and they're like, what are you gonna do about the soccer team?

Like we gotta be involved and we gotta make things happen.

And I'm like, all right, we got people that care about our community that have been stepping up for community for a long time.

And I think about, I tell my parents all the time like I would not be here if I didn't have you as a mom and a dad.

Because so many kids that we grew up with didn't have that.

And it's all those little things, it's having a good family, it's having people in community that uplift you, and I'm here to uplift you the whole way through this process and cheer you on and watch from the sidelines.

It's an honor to see and vote on this proclamation for for you today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Council Pro Tem Romero Campbell.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, I just wanted to say, so we've met most recently when I'm in this in when I've been in this role.

And I remember meeting and talking with you.

And I think it goes to what has already been said of your ability to create relationships so quickly and to be able to connect and have that familiarity instantly.

And I really appreciate that.

You've been a great partner.

I've known you mostly through Den, and I'm so excited you're gonna be at SEFD.

What was so interesting was as we're talking, and we're like, oh my gosh, I feel like I've known you forever.

How come we haven't met before?

How come we don't know each other?

Well, it turns out I knew your sister.

And I was like, oh, I know your sister, you know, within the early childhood field, and we had just and we'd worked together, and it was a sense of just knowing.

Um I have two sisters.

Uh, and I had, you know, I I tell them about work and people I need and so forth.

And I was telling one of my sisters, Carla, I was like, oh man, you've got to meet this one.

Gal, you know, her name is Andrea, and we just, you know, she's just so familiar, blah, blah, blah.

And I'm just going on and just raving about you.

And she's like, I've known her for years.

And so I just think that it's like, how small is our world, and how small is Denver.

Um, and how great is our community.

Um, I'm so excited that you are um going to be, or that you now, you're you're you're doing it.

You're doing first today's your first day at SCFD.

Congratulations, and you're still standing and th and having this proclamation um this evening.

Thank you to the sponsors for bringing this forward.

Um, both this sponsor both this proclamation and for Penny May.

Um, what a wonderful way for us to celebrate um wonderful people who've who've um just really transformed, I think, our city and all of our lives.

Thank you, and congratulations.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilmember Gemmer.

Thank you.

Uh, congratulations, Andrea.

Um, it has been an honor um working with you, and um I especially love that we were able to get together and um talk about um shared history in northern New Mexico and family and um road trips down dirt roads that you didn't know where they were gonna go to, but at the end um it was a really great connection and a great story, and uh I really look at the work that you've done within the city and county of Denver and knowing uh with Scientific and Cultural Facilities District uh how important that role is and how transformational it really is for all of the children and families and people who have an opportunity to be part of arts and culture and how important that is for our community, and especially you being in the leadership role now as we look uh to the next path for scientific and cultural facilities district around um the reauthorization that's coming up next year, and where the equity conversations maybe need to go around tier one, tier two, and tier three, and you are the exact right person to be in this role right at this time, and um not only us um are celebrating you, but all of your ancestors are as well, and so I really appreciate that we were able to share that.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Flynn.

Thank you, Madam President Andrew.

I know that you're going to do a great job at uh SCFD, and that you'll bring your very special, unique experiences, but also a special lens to that very important work on a regional level.

I know how proud.

Uh your family must be uh at this, but I also want to thank you on a personal level for all the assistance uh that you gave to me and probably to many other folks up here in your various roles here with the city.

They've been invaluable, they've been timely, they've been accurate, and and always very professional.

I will always respect the work that you did here, and I look forward to you doing great things at uh SCFD.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Lewis, thank you.

I just wanted to say thank you.

I think you've been crying enough tonight, so I'll I'll spare you that.

But thank you for your partnership and thank you for your commitment, and I'm just really excited for you, as I've told you before.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Hines.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um I think I'm on to something.

Again, just a few years ago, we were the third busiest airport in the world.

And we are plummeting in the rankings.

That's a joke, by the way.

And now we're losing two fabulous members.

Or we have lost.

So anyway, what uh best of luck uh with SEFD.

Uh it is a gem, it is a um uh a mark of jealousy throughout uh throughout the United States, and uh and it is something that helps uh make Denver special.

Thank you, Madam Partisan.

Thank you.

Um, Andrea, I'm so proud of you.

So proud to see that you I remember when you called me um that morning, I'll never forget, and you told me you were gonna leave Den and where you were going next, and I got off the phone and just started crying because I was just so proud to see someone of from the West side, someone who defied a lot of um hardships, and had to go through a whole national search.

I think I remember talking to you and asking you how many interviews you had gone through and how you just were able to say something new every single time that you got interviewed, and I just started asking you about the process and um to for your family.

Thank you for raising such two amazing daughters.

Um, I was the uh I was in a Latino Leadership Institute with your daughter who your Andrea's sister, and when I found out you two were sisters, my sister Kendra had been in the Latino Leadership Institute, and I was like, of course, that just totally tracks for us.

Um, and for those who might not know, I think I met Andrea's husband before I met Andrea, and our husbands were in the same wedding.

I'm not gonna date us, but back in the day, I'll just say the chili pepper was still open for those of you who know Denver.

Their first date was at the Chili Pepper.

And we have just over the years just gotten to know each other outside of work and gotten to know each other's families and gotten to know our hard stories, gotten to know um things that have really transformed our lives.

Um loss, love, illnesses, sickness, and most of all, for tonight, congratulations.

So, um, just couldn't be more honored to be a sponsor of this proclamation, and however, you need support in your next step.

You are not alone.

You lean on us because we'll be leaning on you as well.

Um, and I just look forward to supporting you in your future.

And um, you're not going too far from me, so just stay in touch.

Madam Secretary, roll call on proclamation 1293.

Council members Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Alpitres.

Aye, Flynn, aye, Gilmore, aye.

Heinz.

Hi.

Cashman.

Hi.

Lewis.

Aye.

Parity.

Aye.

Romera Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer.

Aye.

Torres?

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting, announce the results.

12 ayes.

We have 12 ayes.

Proclamation 1293 has been adopted.

We now have time for the proclamation acceptance, and I'd like to call Andrea Abala.

Wow.

I don't think I've cried this much in a while.

Um, members of council, thank you so much for this incredible, profound honor.

I really am speechless.

Um, tears of joy.

I want to thank my beautiful family who's here, my husband and kids, my parents.

Mom and dad, you.

You helped me believe in the impossible.

And you built a bridge for my sisters and I that we'll never forget.

So this is for all of us.

This is for every person in Denver that doesn't see the possible path forward.

I started my career with the city when I was 18 years old as an intern.

I left for a little bit and then I came back because this is what it's about.

It's about raising up the voices.

It's about building the path for people that can't see past the struggle.

And I'm so excited, I couldn't be more honored to be leading the SCFD.

Today is my first day.

So what a wonderful day to top off.

I want to also thank my city colleagues and friends, um, a new colleague who joined us tonight.

It's such an honor to be here with all of you and celebrate this special moment, and I look forward to transforming more good things ahead.

Thank you.

As a reminder, council members need to turn on their video uh during uh need to turn on their video to vote.

For the during the vote, for those participating in person when called upon, please come to the podium.

On the presentation monitor on the wall, you will see your time counting down.

For those participating virtually when called upon, please wait until our meeting hosts promote you to speaker.

When you are promoted, please accept the promotion.

Turn on your camera if you have one and your microphone.

All speakers should begin the remarks by telling the council their names, cities of residence, and if they feel comfortable doing so, their home addresses.

If you have signed up to answer questions only, state your name and note that you are available for questions to council.

Speakers will have three minutes.

There is no yielding of time.

If translation is needed, you will be given an additional three minutes for your comments to be interpreted.

Speakers must stay on the topic of the hearing and must direct their comments to council as a whole.

Please refrain from profane or obscene speech and refrain from individual or personal attacks.

Councilmember Sawyer, will you please put Council Bill 251070 changing the zoning classification for 2501 South High Street in University on the floor for final passage?

I move that council bill 25-1070 be placed upon final consideration and do pass.

It has been moved and seconded.

Oops, here we go.

There.

This evening I will review the request, the location and context, the process, and of course the review criteria.

Again, this is a request to rezone from Urban Edge single unit DX to Urban Edge 2 Unit C.

The property itself, highlighted there in the middle of the map in red, is 12,500 square feet and is uh a mix of a single unit property to the northern half of the property and a vacant or extended yard to the southern half of the property.

Continue on to the location and context.

This is located in Council District 6 with Councilmember Cashman and is located in the university neighborhood.

Again, the existing zoning is E S U D X, which is the majority of the area south of the Harvard Gulch there.

And then also ETUC, which is to the north and west of the property, and then also a butting to OSA.

As for the existing land use, again, this property is single unit and vacant.

And then the surrounding area is a mix of single unit and two-unit, again, mostly two unit to the north and to the west, as well as open space with the Harvard Gulch abutting the property.

Here you can see the existing building form and scale.

The subject property, again, a one-story, one and a half story uh residence.

And then we see a similar example of a two-unit property, a duplex at the rear of the property, again, uh largely one-story kind of brick and stone combination for the context of the neighborhood.

Moving on to the process, uh, this application received its informational notice in mid-May and was heard at the planning board hearing on July 16th and was recommended approval by the planning board.

It was heard at the CPH committee at the end of July and is here tonight at the City Council public hearing.

As for public comment, there have been no RO comments received to date, and there were five public comments in support of the application, and those were included with the application itself.

Moving on to the review criteria, there are three criteria that we uh look at for all rezonings, and I will review each of these individually, starting with consistency with adopted plans.

For this site, there are two plans that are applicable comprehensive plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver.

This proposed rezoning furthers complan 2040 by a few ways, including several goals under equitable, affordable, inclusive, as well as strong and authentic neighborhoods and environmentally resilient.

It meets these goals by increasing additional housing units and building forms at an infill location that are accessible to transit and mixed use services nearby.

Continue on to Blueprint Denver.

This is identified as urban edge for its neighborhood context, which contains single-unit and two-unit residential areas.

Commercial areas tend to be found along main corridors bordering residential areas with some larger centers throughout.

As for its uh feature place type, this is identified as low residential, predominantly single and two-unit uses on smaller medium lots, accessory dwelling units, and duplexes can be integrated where compatible, and building heights are up to general are generally up to two and a half stories.

We have additional guidance when it comes to low residential, and this guidance is for when a request is made to change the zoning to allow two-unit uses.

The appropriateness of the request depends on an adopted small area plan guidance, neighborhood input, and existing zoning patterns.

A departure from the established zoning pattern may be appropriate if the intent is to set a new pattern for the area as expressed by a small area plan or significant neighborhood input.

For this site, there is no small area plan or neighborhood plan.

The applicant did uh thorough neighborhood outreach and has support from as mentioned in the application.

Uh in this case, we see zoning support through zoning pattern.

As we've uh shown that there is an existing ETUC zone district that abuts to the north and to the west, and is a continuation of the existing zone district.

Uh continuing on with the Blueprint Denver growth strategy.

This is identified as all other areas of the city, which includes 10% of job growth and 20% of housing growth by 2040.

And there's one additional policy uh directly from Bruce Blueprint, including land use and built form, housing policy two, uh, to diversify housing options by exploring opportunities to integrate missing middle housing into low and low medium residential areas.

Uh wrapping up the remaining uh review criteria.

This will uh implement public interest by implementing our citywide plans and allowing additional housing options throughout the city, and is it this rezoning is consistent with neighborhood context, zone district purpose and intent by implementing the regulations and guidelines for ETUC.

And based on the staff report and information provided this evening, CPD finds that the review criteria has been met and recommends approval of this application.

Happy to answer any further questions, and the applicant is available virtually.

Thank you so much.

We have one individual signed up to speak this evening.

Jesse Paris.

Yes, good evening, members of council.

My name is Jesse Wissel Harris, and I'm representing the Blackstar Ask the Movement for Self-Defense.

The revolutionary agenda now reside at the CCH own legacy loss in the fine district of District 9 and Darrow's District.

Watson Hodge, Campbell, Flynn, Taurus, Albarez, Cashman, Sawyer, and Sandoval.

Y'all need to go in 2027.

Now, in regards to this, for those that don't know, I supported ADUs since 2019 when I ran for city council at large and got almost 15,000 votes with no money.

Is this going to be used for a short-term rental?

Is somebody the occupant or the council member cashman answer that question?

I would greatly appreciate it.

All right, I'll see y'all on the next one.

Thank you.

Uh please.

Questions from members of council on Council Bill 1070.

Councilman Sawyer.

Thanks, Madam President.

Um, I'm just curious if the applicant is here to tell us a little bit about what the plan is for this site.

They're available virtually.

Um Paul Hoffman is the applicant, producer Paul Hoffman.

H.

Stephen Side as well, yeah.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Are you there?

Can you hear me?

Hello.

Hey there.

Thanks so much.

Um, yeah, appreciate you being here.

Did you hear my question or do you need me to repeat it?

Please repeat it.

Yeah, I was just curious what your plan is for this site.

12,000 square foot lot with uh ETUC zoning, is that six to eight units?

Uh my plan at this point is to sell it sell it to a developer.

Um, unfortunately, I can't afford to develop it.

It's a fam, it's been in the family for since over 1960, and I have to sell it to make money for my retirement.

Okay, really appreciate that.

Thanks for thanks for sharing.

Um, so then I guess is anyone from host here.

No.

Not tonight.

Okay.

Um, so my question is, and I don't know if you can answer it, but uh in the near Southeast Area Plan conversations, when we talked about future planning and future place type, um, the affordability conversation and the the displacement conversation um came up a number of different times, right?

Because here we have what is uh essentially an attainably priced home.

It's going to get rezoned, and there are gonna be six to eight units for duplexes that might end up getting built on there if the property owner's gonna sell it to a developer, that will happen.

Um, and one affordably attainably priced unit is going to be scraped for um for you know multiple other units that are not attainably priced.

And so I'm curious whether there has been any conversation among city agencies to have an affordability requirement.

So, general generally citywide, we're having the unlocking housing choices conversation, but for the site and space uh specific to clarify, I believe the applicant is sending to only anticipating to sell the undeveloped half, um, and talking with our team as well as Dotti.

Um there's the you really can only get two units on the site based on the square footage and the setbacks and so forth.

And the northern half with the existing property cannot be redeveloped due to the floodway with the gulch.

Okay.

So only the southern half could be developed, and it's still based on the square footage and the setbacks and all those elements.

Uh, it could probably only be either another single unit or collectively for the whole site too.

So you're not gonna exceed more than two units on the site.

Okay, so we're not gonna, so, about why there was a rezoning as opposed to just a lot split.

Uh, because it wouldn't allow for this way, the property allows for two units on the whole zone lot.

So the zone lot can allow two units, but in order to get the split, it'll requires the two unit zone district.

So it's not an even split.

Yeah, unless you do the the TU zoning.

Yes, and then following that, there will be a zone lot amendment where it can be split based on the parcel.

And then split off.

Okay, great.

Thank you so much.

Thanks, Madam President.

Thank you.

Seeing no other questions by members of council.

The public hearing is closed.

Comments by members of council on 1070.

Councilmember Cashman, do you have anything?

Yeah, I just want to say I do agree with with the staff report, and uh I think the uh proposed rezon rezoning is an appropriate use in that community, and I I look forward to supporting it and hope my colleagues will do the same.

Thank you.

Madam Secretary, we'll call on Council Bill 1070.

Council members Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Torres.

Albitres.

Aye.

Flynn?

Aye.

Gilmore.

Aye.

Heinz.

Aye.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Aye.

Parity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell?

Aye.

Sawyer?

Aye.

Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval?

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close the voting announce the results.

Twelve ayes.

Twelve eyes.

Council Bill 1070 has passed.

Councilmember Soria, will you please put council bill 1137 approving the amended and restated 27th and Lairmer Urban Redevelop Redevelopment Plan on the floor for final passage?

I move that Council Bill 25-1137 be placed upon final consideration and do pass.

It has been moved and seconded.

The required public hearing for Council Bill 1137 is open.

May we please have the staff report?

Good evening, Council President Sandoval and members of City Council.

My name is Tracy Huggins, and I'm the executive director of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority.

The state urban renewal statute appropriately requires approval by City Council of a material modification to a previously approved urban redevelopment plan.

As you will hear, certain components of an existing plan are being amended.

So consistent with statute, we are presenting Council Bill 25-1137 to approve the amended and restated 27th and Larimer Urban Redevelopment Plan.

In November of 2022, council approved the original 27th and Larimer Urban Redevelopment Plan, which created the 27th and Larimer Urban Redevelopment Area and the 27th and Larimer sales and property tax increment areas.

The area is approximately five acres located in the five-point statistical neighborhood in Council District 9.

The area includes a full city block founded by 27th Street, Larimer Street, 26th Street, and Lawrence Street, as well as several properties located just south of 26th Street on the northeast side of Larimer.

The area contains 15 properties, all of which are owned by Eden's, the redevelopers seeking to redevelop the area, except for one property owned by the nonprofit Volunteers of America, Colorado, which is their office headquarters located at the corner of 27th and Larimer.

The site was rezoned through a PUD, which allows for a mix of open space, commercial and residential land use, and a series of height allowances between three and seven stories.

As part of the rezoning effort, Eden's undertook an extensive community outreach process that directly led to the inclusion of certain aspects of their development program and making several public benefiting commitments associated with the project.

These included an affordable housing agreement with the city that requires that 10% of the project units be affordable to households making no more than 50% of the area median income, creation of a 10,000 square foot publicly accessible outdoor plaza space, and the implementation of an affordable business incubator program that includes offering commercial space at reduced rents with an emphasis on growing small, BIPOC, and veteran-owned businesses, the renovation of the VOA headquarters to allow that not profit to continue to operate in the community, to repair and integrate existing valued facades into their design, and provide neighborhood-serving retail along Lawrence Street nearest to the residential community to the east so that community members can walk or bike to accomplish daily or weekly shopping.

In approving the original plan, council found the area to be blighted based on evidence presented in a condition study for the area, which found that four of the 11 statutorily defined factors of bite were both present and collectively limiting the developability of the area.

These blighting conditions, which include deteriorated or deteriorating structures, deterioration of site or other improvements, environmental contamination of buildings or property, and substantial underutilization and vacancy of sites, building or other improvements are still present and their impact remains.

Council also found the original plan to be in conformance with Plan 2040, Blueprint Denver, and the Northeast Downtown Neighborhoods Plan, and also found the area was appropriate for one or more urban redevelopment projects, including the project as it was originally defined in the plan.

The plan defined that project that supported the revitalization of the area through the creation of several multi-story buildings that would provide a mix of uses contemplated to include retail, residential, a portion again of which was to be set aside for low-income households, a publicly accessible outdoor plaza, and below grade parking to service the development program.

However, due to general and financial market conditions, the project as it was originally defined has not been feasible, and the urban renewal area continues to deteriorate.

From 2022, following approval of the plan by council through mid-2024, Eden's attempted to secure a partner to construct the residential portion of the project, but was not successful.

In early 2025, they proposed a revised project that focused on adaptive reuse of some buildings on the site to create new retail spaces, build new retail, including grocery buildings on the south and northeast portions of the site, replace the below grade parking originally contemplated with surface parking, keep the open space square footage with a modified design, and office space as originally contemplated, and postpone the residential development until market conditions were more favorable.

The developer has been able to secure financing for this newly defined reduced project scope.

And with this change in project scope, we are requesting council to amend and restate the 27th and Larimer Urban Redevelopment Plan to do two things: to change the description of the project and to make the conforming changes to the city planning goals due to the removal of the residential component from the urban redevelopment project as defined in the plan.

I want to emphasize that Eden's remains committed to the ultimate delivery of housing in the urban redevelopment area.

The urban redevelopment project will be the initial phase of development with the housing phase to be undertaken when market conditions improve.

To reflect this revised project, the project definition in the amended and restated plan now says the term project means the adaptive reuse of several existing buildings and the development of new buildings in the urban redevelopment area that will provide uses contemplated to include retail, commercial, a publicly accessible outdoor plaza, and site improvements.

The revised project consists of 60,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery while maintaining the 10,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space and the office portion of the 2022 project.

The space plan for residential for the residential building and below grade parking would become surface parking for the project.

The existing buildings along Larimer Street between 26th Street and 27th Street will be adaptively reused.

A new building will be constructed for the grocer on the corner of 27th Street and Lawrence Street, and the existing buildings between 26th Street and 25th Street on Larimer will be demolished and replaced with new retail storefronts.

Every urban redevelopment plan must link the plan objectives, including the defined project to the city priorities and goals that are described across the applicable plans, including Plan 2040, Blueprint Denver, and the Northeast Downtown Neighborhoods Plan.

The original plan emphasized the conformance with several key city priorities and goals described across the applicable planning documents, including goals related to supporting development that featured high quality design and cultivating an engaging public realm as well as goals related to incentivizing the creation of a mix of uses across key corridors in the city.

While keeping many of the goals regarding high quality design and an engaging public realm, the amended and restated plan removes the goals specific to housing and reinforces the goals specific to adaptive reuse and the development of complete neighborhoods.

On July 15th, the amended and restated plan was presented to the Denver Planning Board, who voted unanimously to find the amended and restated 27th and Laramer Urban Redevelopment Plan to be in conformance with Plan 2040, Blueprint Denver, and the Northeast Downtown Neighborhoods Plan.

With the change in project scope, Dura re-underwrote the need for tax increment assistance necessary to support this phase of the project.

The original TIFF commitment of approximately $19.6 million has been reduced to approximately $9.3 million.

These amounts represented and still represent approximately 12% of the total project budget.

The cost to be reimbursed by tax increment continue to directly address the blighting conditions found on the site and to support the development vision.

So to this point, my report has been focused on what is changing.

What I would now like to focus on are those items that will not be changing through the passage of the amended and restated plan.

The overall objectives of the urban renewal plan will not change.

The boundaries of the urban renewal area will not change.

The boundaries of the tax increment area will not change, and the timing to collect the tax increment will not change.

The termination date of 2047 remains in place.

Additionally, the agreements entered into with the other property taxing entities will not change.

Each property taxing entity was notified of the plan modification and acknowledged the continuation of the agreements as previously negotiated.

The Mile High Flood District will continue to allow Dura to retain and utilize amounts derived from their mill levy.

The Rhino bid, under that agreement, Dura will continue to remit to the bid any increment that we receive that is derived from their mill levy.

Denver Public Schools, there is no change to the original agreement.

Dura will be able to retain and utilize amounts derived from the DPS mill levy.

However, when the original project was defined in the urban renewal plan, DPS had calculated a fiscal impact on their ability to deliver services to the area of about $3.4 million dollars.

Per the agreement with TPS, Dura will pay this amount in annual installments over the term of the tax increment area.

Because EDENS fully intends to develop the housing component when market conditions improved, and because the use of TIFF will eliminate the blighting conditions and further ready the site for the housing component, Dura felt it appropriate to continue to make the payments to DPS as originally agreed.

And while Dura is not a party to the agreements with the city that resulted from the PUD approval, this change in the urban redevelopment plan will in no way change the requirements relating to the delivery of affordable housing and other community-serving uses.

I'd also like to note that while even Eatons has been seeking to obtain financing, they have already undertaken significant portions of the original project.

They have purchased the outdated VOA kitchen and warehouse and acquired and refurbished new replacement kitchen and warehouse facilities for the VOA so that they can continue to provide services to Denverites.

They have also renovated the VOA headquarters in the building at 27th in Larimer to ensure that the VOA can maintain their presence in the community.

And they've also worked with the community on the proposed project change and have received letters of support from Curtis Park Neighbors, Inc.

and the Rhino Design Review Committee.

In considering the approval of the amended and restated urban redevelopment plan, there are a number of additional findings that city council may make.

Must find that the urban redevelopment area as described in the plan is found and declared to be blighted as defined in the urban renewal law.

This is a legislative finding by council based upon the condition study and other evidence presented to council.

Find that if any individuals or families within the redevelopment area are displaced, or if any business concerns are displaced as a result of adoption or implementation of the plan, a feasible method exists for the relocation of those individuals, families, or business concerns in accordance with the act.

Please note that no businesses or residents within the urban redevelopment area will be displaced as a result of the adoption of the plan.

Written notice of this public hearing has been provided to all property owners, residents, and owners of business concerns within the urban redevelopment area.

That written notice was mailed on July 31st of this year, which is at least 30 days prior to this public hearing.

No more than 120 days have passed since the first public hearing before council on the amended and restated plan.

Tonight is the first public hearing before council on this amended and restated urban redevelopment plan.

This is the first consideration of the amended and restated urban redevelopment plan for this area, and thus council has not previously failed to approve the amended and restated urban redevelopment plan.

Again, on July 15th of this year, the Denver Planning Board unanimously found that the amended and restated plan continues to conform with the Denver Comprehensive Plan and its applicable supplements.

The urban redevelopment plan will afford maximum opportunity consistent with the sound needs of Denver as a whole for the rehabilitation or redevelopment of the area by private enterprise.

As I noted previously, the project area is owned by EDANS, a private entity who intends on undertaking the project.

The agreements that I just described a moment ago with the other taxing entities remain in full force and effect as originally agreed to.

And finally, the city and county of Denver can adequately finance and agreements are in place to finance any additional city and county of Denver infrastructure and services required to serve development within the 27th and Laramore urban redevelopment area for the period during which the incremental property and sales taxes are paid to Dura.

The plan allows for cooperative agreements between the city and Dura to address additional infrastructure requirements should they arise.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to bring forward this amended and restated urban redevelopment plan for council consideration, which will support the initial phase of development, eliminate the blighting conditions, deliver an asset to the community, and provide new commercial opportunities and neighborhood amenities.

Thank you for your favorable consideration, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Tracy.

We have four speakers signed up for this evening.

First up, we have Keith Pryor.

Keith.

Next up, we have Jesse Paris virtually.

Me again.

Yes, my name is Jesse Bashawn Paris, and I'm representing for Black Star Action Movement for Self Defense, Positive Action Committee for Social Change, as well as the Party of Colorado, the Northeast Denver Reference Council, Frontline Black News, the Revolutionary Pandit, the Bacchus Black Aspiration and the CCA's own legacy loss in five points.

And District 9, fine district nine, and Darrell Watts' district.

It looked like y'all did your homework on this.

I heard this before, though.

Um, I have several questions.

Y'all know how I do.

So the first question I have is exactly how many units are we talking about?

How is this affordable?

And you said 10% of the units are gonna be at 50% AMI, which means that you're gonna have to make 50% of 85,000 to be able to afford to live here.

Um, I don't see that mitigating the justification that's already going on in East Denver.

Um you said something about BIPOC, I hate that broad ambiguous language.

Um, BIPOC businesses, uh black indigenous people of color, that's what the acronym is short for.

Um, it sounds good on the surface, but I don't really believe it, especially since we don't we can't afford to live in this neighborhood anymore.

Um, a grocery store.

That's something about a grocery store.

What kind of grocery store are you talking about?

Are you talking about a chain grocery store?

Are you talking about a mom and pop store that was not mentioned during the presentation?

Also, can you explain to us why this area is divided?

Because if I recall several years back, there was a murder that occurred on the 27th in Lamer.

And there was a club that was present there that ended up getting shut down that I had attended for um poetry slams and hip hop events.

The club got shut down.

And somebody please remind me of what the name of that club was, why there was black conditions here in the first place.

And when you talk about feasible methods, we've heard this before.

When I lived in the East Villages in the late 90s, early 2000s, we were told, oh, you can move back in five years.

Oh, if you get displaced.

Um, we weren't able to move back in five years.

This was in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002.

We were not able to move back in five years.

Now this place is called Benedict Place.

The irony, right?

So somebody could please answer those questions.

I was rightly appreciated.

And how is it meeting your criteria of consistency with adopted plans?

Public interest is not better in our public answers, especially if you're still allowing just to go on in a predominantly black historically district.

Um, consistency with neighborhood context.

How is the matter?

How is this even meeting that criteria?

If somebody can please answer those questions, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm sure the people at home will too as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up we have Stefan Bennett.

Good evening, members of City Council, Council President Sandoval, and Councilman Watson from the Fine District 9.

Excuse me.

My name is Stephen Bennett, and I'm president of Curtis Park Neighbors Registered Neighborhood Organization.

I'm here to um, as Tracy Huggins acknowledged, or Curtis Park Neighbors offered a letter of support for the Dura TIFF financing to make this project come to light.

And I'm here to offer my verbal support as well.

I'd also like to thank Eden's on their commitment to community to our process and engagement.

Uh Tom Picarsick from Eden's presented to the neighborhood the cur the previous plans in May of 24.

Tom and their architect Nathan reached out to the board in March of this year and sat down with the board and a few community members and let us know of the changes in the plans and the due to the changing market conditions on multifamily development.

And we reiterated to Eden's the importance to engage the neighborhood at large and not just the board.

Therefore, Tom returned to Curtis Park Connects, our monthly neighborhood meeting in May of 2025, and presented their updated plans.

And then in July of 25, Eden's hosted another meeting with Tracy Endura and Councilman Watson at the renovated VOA headquarters.

The neighborhood at large was involved, was in uh invited.

For those of you on council in 2022, when the PUD would rezoned, it was a marathon session that went until about 1 45 in the morning.

The rezone was a very contentious issue in our neighborhood, specifically for our long-term residents.

And I would like to point out that many of those residents that oppose the uh the PUD three years ago attended the meeting with Dura and Councilman Watson at VOA, and there was no um opposition to the updated plan.

So therefore, the board took a vote and it passed unanimously, and we are providing our provided the letter of support for this project.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up we have Adam Larkey.

Thank you for the time to speak in favor of Eden's 27th and Laramer redevelopment.

Uh, this project goes beyond development.

It's about strengthening the community that I've served for years through my work with the Rhino Arts District.

I'm currently the interim co-executive director.

Um, also a property owner and community stakeholder.

Uh every day I see the promises and challenges faced by so many in our diverse area, and that's why this Eden's redevelopment matters.

We know what's lacking, especially exterior spaces for the public to gather and a grocery store.

This project addresses a real gap, finally making it possible for residents, workers, and visitors to have both within an easy walk.

It would be a giant step towards making Rhino a healthy, balanced, and integrated 15-minute district.

Public tools like Dura Assistance and TIFF are vital to making complex redevelopment possible in a way that puts our community first.

Eden's has a proven track record, and this project gives us a chance to shape the growth beneficial for everyone.

And kudos to Eden's for their genuine engagement with our community and ongoing commitment to supporting small business owners, especially women in BIPOC owned businesses.

It is this type of dedication that makes for a lasting difference.

Thank you for the opportunity to share why this redevelopment is so important to Rhino and its future.

Thank you.

That concludes our speakers.

Do we have questions from members of council on 1137?

Councilwoman Albidares.

Thank you.

Um, I did have a couple of questions, and this might be for host or it might be for Tracy.

Um, so am I understanding that all housing was removed from the project?

Okay.

Yes, under the uh definition of project in the amended and restated urban redevelopment plan, there is no housing that is currently contemplated.

Okay, and so that is that means there's no future guarantees of any housing here as well, right?

So I would also just want to say that the redeveloper is here and can speak to this as well.

Um the rezoning allows for but doesn't require the housing, but they have been very public in their commitment to bring forward the housing component when the market conditions improve.

So there's needs it needs to be clear that there's a difference between the urban renewal project that is defined in the plan and the broader development vision that may uh likely include housing in the future.

Okay, and then um can you talk to me about how is that why it went from 23 million to 13 million?

Or of project costs for TIFF reimbursement?

Yes, in large part because the the whole scope and scale of the project has been reduced, and so accordingly, the amount of public assistance should also be reduced.

So, yes, it was we really just underwrote this project as defined in the urban redevelopment plan, which is different than that broader original project that we had brought forward.

And does this include remediation?

Yes.

Okay.

Um is this a voluntary cleanup remediation project, or do you know?

No.

Okay.

I'm seeing the shaking of the head no in the back.

If you don't mind coming up and just speaking to the remediation that's needed, and that would be helpful.

Um Thomas Picarsick with Eden's uh the remediation would be just interior asbestos in the adaptive reuse building that we'd be maintaining on 27th in Larimer.

Okay, and if you could speak to just the house the future housing potentiality, that would be helpful.

Yeah, so everything that we're going about right now is to preserve that ability to bring housing when the market demands are there.

Um so the ability to bring that, and when we do deliver that housing, uh, we will signing a 99 year covenant uh for that affordable housing before we can get that first C of O when that residential project would be built.

But everything we're doing now what gives us that ability to below to deliver future housing on site.

Okay.

Um and how has I know that the uh neighborhood group is here, but I'm curious.

Obviously, Five Points has experienced a lot of gentrification, and curious how what efforts are being made to make sure that local residents are able to have access to whatever small business opportunities and things are available here.

Yes, uh we've been engaging with the local community uh through events that we host ourselves, and as well as as we pursue through Door, we'll have the SBE requirements uh that we'd be maintaining uh to notify and to engage with the local community.

In addition, we work with Green Spaces with Javon Taylor to try to help with uh cultivate new upcoming businesses to incubate and grow in within our this asset and our neighboring asset.

Okay, thank you.

That's all the questions I have for the moment.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Council council member Lewis.

Thank you.

I do have a few questions, Tracy, to go back to the um the slide um where it shows the differences between the 2022 projected costs or the 2022 cost and the revised yes um project.

Can you talk to me about the significant increase for the demolition and site work?

Sure.

So in the original plan, there was not going to be the same level of demolition as we are going to see now in order to bring so those additional uh retail storefronts along a portion of the site.

So there's just been a change in the in the use there.

So to tell me, explain that.

Explain that to me.

So what were you planning for with the 338,000 versus what is now being planned for with the 1.5 million?

I'm gonna ask Tommy T may have to come and help with this as well.

Um, again, there is just a a different level of work that is going to be done across the project.

And what I also want to be cautious, and I'm gonna look for some other assistance potentially from from Mike in the background is we seek to find that place of intersection of the amount that the project needs in order to go forward and what those eligible costs are.

So as you can see, there was a significant reduction in the by the elimination of the below grade parking.

Uh-huh.

So when we took that out, there's the potential that um there was an increase that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to meet on the demolition in site work as a result of this different uh project.

But I do know there is a different level of uh demo and site work activity because it is just a different development program.

Come on up.

Thank you.

Um to talk about the site work and demolition, a lot of allocation with the subgrade parking on the original plan, a lot of those costs were within the subgrade parking, which is how the contractor allocates costs.

Um so now without that subgrade parking, you're you're seeing the true detail on the site and a demolition that might have been within the subgrade parking numbers previously.

Okay.

Um, and then some of the the questions I have, I I think oftentimes when I think about adaptive reuse, I think about it in the context of housing, but it sounds like there's not housing attached to this anymore.

So can you talk to me about the 900,000 and the movement to the 2.3 million?

Yes.

Um the adaptive reuse originally was intended to really maintain the facade of the Joe's liquor building.

Okay.

Um and now as we've looked at this plan, we're actually utilizing on 27th Street the entire warehouse minus one little section between Joe's and the large warehouse, so it's about 25,000 square feet of new retail that we're using the existing warehouse commissary kitchen from the Volunteers America and repurposing it so that existing structure you see there today would remain on the corner of 27th going down 26 down to 27th in Lairmark.

Okay, and then can you help me understand for the ADA compliance?

It was for 2022 was zero, but now it's um three hundred and sixty-two thousand.

And so what's the change there?

Zero is surprising, but you just have to uh in the original design, because we're building brand new construction.

Um it was based into the the design of the building while we're using the existing structures.

We have to modify and create ADA compliance within those structures so that warehouse building, we are maintaining the entire facade and keeping the street level exactly the same.

So there's a lot of ADA work to make it accessible for everyone that is required for the entrances of those buildings.

Okay.

Um thank you.

And then the soft cost, what's the soft cost?

Why was it so why was it 3.8 mil, and why is it zero now?

Do soft costs go away?

Sure, in in answering these questions, I want to be clear what you are seeing here are just the costs that the tax increment would seek to reimburse, not the entire project budget.

So to suggest that there were zero soft costs in their total budget would be inaccurate.

We were just saying we were not going to reimburse any soft costs.

That's super helpful.

And same on some of those other like with the ADA compliance.

They clearly there would have been costs attributable to their development budget.

They just were not the costs originally that Dura was going to use the tax increment to reimburse.

Thank you.

And then my final question is what's a CEO fee?

Like an actual CEO?

You know, you are not the first person to ask that, and in including our board members, and say, what is that?

Um CEO stands for the construction employment opportunities program.

Okay.

So this is a program that Dura administers where we require that the developer who is receiving tax increment from us to pay over to Dura 1% of the total amount that we are committing to put into the project.

We Dura then use those monies under our CEO, construction employment opportunities program, to provide funding to uh other providers in the construction industry in an effort to try to bring more uh workers into the construction industry.

Okay, okay, this is my final question for real.

Um with the um you all talked about the improved economic conditions and um housing.

What's a measure for improved economic conditions?

Like what does that mean?

So currently the site is vacant and has been vacant and is causing there to be additional burden placed on the the community just as a result of its current condition.

Okay.

So by being able to reactivate, re-energize, bring additional retail opportunities, bring the grocery store is clearly going to increase the economic output of the of the area.

And you said you said with surety that you weren't concerned about displacement of businesses or displacement of residents with this um coming in.

Talk to me about those assurances because I grew up in five points, and it is very different, and I just worry when we when I hear those assurities that there's no way to really to be able to protect that because it hasn't been protected.

So again, want to be very, very clear that the finding that we are asking you to make is that within the boundaries of the urban redevelopment area, there won't be any businesses or residents that are displaced because there's nobody living or working there now except for the VOA.

They are staying there.

The impact beyond the boundaries of the area can be a different consideration.

And so again, making sure as best we can with the assistance of Eden's that they are mindful of the uh retail mix that is brought into the community, that it is not looking to um negatively impact the existing uses in there, but instead to really complement what is both in the community currently and what the community, how the community intends to grow into the future.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Councilmember Watson.

Uh thank you so much, Council President.

Um Tracy and team don't go too far, and um the applicant please come forward again.

Um, Tracy would ask for you to also clarify for once again, in case um folks wasn't clear on the taxing entities, which I found very curious, um, impacts of this um dramatic change to the tax and uh entities um uh based on the change of what the TIFF is going to fund.

Can you share any changes to any of the taxing entities um that um would be adversely affected because of the drawdown difference of this development?

So again, we are not anticipating based on the the conversations both previously and currently with those other taxing entities that their view on impact is changing as a result from from of the reduced scope of the project, and instead we are really trying to honor uh the intention of our agreement with DPS because we do believe that it in some point there will be residents there and there will be students using their facilities, and so since their tax increment is allowing or the amount of the tax increment attributable to their mill levy is allowing us to remedy the blighting conditions in ready the site for that future.

We felt it appropriate to continue to make those payments to DPS almost like an advanced payment on the impact that they at some point in the future will experience.

And that's because of your anticipation of housing as described by the applicant.

Um you felt to remain stable that tax increment for DPS.

Correct.

Another question on Dura and your commitment to minority businesses or small business.

Can you describe what is um in involved in this process to um as far as door incentives or door obligations as far as MBE, SBE?

Um, can you talk through any of this the enterprises that are impacted by that?

I am very happy to talk about those because we're really proud of the different types of programs that we require every redeveloper to participate in if they are looking to utilize tax increment.

So, in no particular order, there is a 1% for project art commitment.

So 1% of the amount that we commit in the tax increment must be used to um install and make and have publicly accessible project art within the boundaries of the urban redevelopment area.

All retailers and any new job that is created on the site is required to participate in our first source hiring program.

That is a program that is intended to provide the first employment opportunities created by any project to low-income Denver residents, and we partner with the Denver Housing Authority on outreach to make sure that those opportunities are known.

We've talked about the CEO program.

We also have a requirement that the redeveloper prepare and implement an SBE small business enterprise utilization plan with the target of having 23% of all of 23% of the total project budget, so not of the TIFF commitment, but the total project budget, exclusive of land acquisition, be made available to qualified uh small business enterprises in the contracting of the uh of the construction.

So we really look to try to bring as much public benefit through just the implementation of our programs as we can, and that is separate and apart from the other requirements that other city departments may require.

Thank you so much, Tracy and Tom, and just a few follow-up questions for you.

Can you share with um uh council members and folks that are watching um kind of the work that your team has done in Eden's as far as providing for um black indigenous people of color uh businesses in the entities on that same street?

Talk through what that commitment looks like and then share what that commitment that you're making for this proposed retail on this side.

Yeah, it's really um been a huge commitment really to engage and enrich the communities that we work with.

Uh we originally started with uh museum for black girls who is now on 16th Street Mall, established them over in Rhino, actually took them to Houston and then brought them the DC.

Um, and so allowed them to get additional exposure to multiple markets that we partnered with.

Uh I mentioned before working with Green Spaces and cultivating, working with Javon Taylor to find those uh incubated retailers that we can put into spaces um within our property um and continue to evolve with those um partners and continue to find new retailers that are up and coming that are looking to start businesses in an easy way to kind of establish the pop-up and to get exposure in the marketplace to get their footing.

And as you contemplate a grocery store, talk through what your thought process is as far as your target.

This is five points.

This is a community that um directly uh in this part of five points.

Um, there's there's not a grocery store um specific to this this part of um the neighborhood.

Talk through what your thought process is as the applicant for that grocery store.

Yeah, Eden's is uh uh national retail developer who started as a grocery company 60 years ago in Columbia, South Carolina.

So grocery stores are at the core of our business.

Um as we look at Rhino, that was the big component of this project, even on the vertical development is to bring in the newest neighborhood servicing retailers to really drive three and a half days, three and a half trips a week in 90 minutes worth of dwell time.

So as we think about the grocery there, uh we're we are thinking about a um conversations between locals and nationals uh that provide daily needs and really meet uh the clientele, not that is within the 15-minute drive time and walking distance from the site.

Um, but it's really a multitude of grocers that we're discussing with.

Um it's but to really to adapt to and actually kind of work with the neighborhood and communities that they go into.

And finally, can you describe the commitment for affordable housing um that you have made to community um that you initially made through the the initial agreement that we're changing?

Talk through what that commitment is and what that commitment for long-term um affordability once the that development is.

Yes, so that commitment is um as Tracy mentioned earlier, 10% of the units that will be built on the site in the future would be at 50% of AMI, and that would last over 99 years.

So as we look forward into the future, when markets are in a better condition uh before we can get that first C of O on site, uh we would be signing a 99-year covenant uh before those residential units could be occupied to maintain that 10% of those units at 50% of AMA.

Thank you so much, Tom and Council President.

I don't intend to come back in for comments so if if permitted, I just want to make a quick comment on the community process, and I know that um the president of Curtis Park RO registered neighbor organization spoke to that.

Yes, but we are in the question section.

So I'm gonna just cut you off.

I'll become the quick and get a question.

This is a public hearing, so we're in we've got to follow the procedures.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

No more questions.

Okay, council member parody.

Um, thank you so much, council president.

I think um the first person I have a couple questions for is Tracy.

Thank you so much, Tracy.

Um, so I'm also I think struggling a little bit with coming into this part way through, like between two city councils.

Um, first question I have is just to be clear the the urban renewal area is not just this site, it's also like the whole block across 26th, right?

The actual URA.

I mean, I'm looking at the map.

I just have some questions about that.

You can go if you're able to see the map, it is the area outlined in red.

Yeah, so the full city block, then the the other moving down.

Yeah, so it's the block that used to have cold crush that has the laundry on Lawrence, a number of other businesses, and then and then just this site it looks like on this block.

Um when was that whole URA formed?

And was it formed um driven by projects on that other block to the north?

I'm just trying to understand the impetus for the creation of that area as a URA because it's just a block and change, it's not huge.

So the the entire redevelopment program was presented to us by Eden's, and so they had the development vision for the entirety of the area that you see encompassed in the urban redevelopment area.

Okay, and what year um was it was it did it become a URA?

I'm sorry, in 2022.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, so uh I think my the thing that I'm struggling with and that I always struggle with um when we're talking about urban renewal is I understand sort of the concept of like um using this tax forgiveness element like TIF financing um to drive development that we don't think can be financed in any other way, but knowing this neighborhood as I do, um, and I also could understand doing that to get housing given the conditions that we're in.

Um, but this neighborhood is I mean, this has to be some of the most valuable real estate in Denver, I would assume, um, knowing what's around it and how much is skyrocketed in recent years.

Um, I just feel uh it's hard for me to gauge whether this is a tool that we really like need and should be using here or whether we're just sort of providing tax forgiveness that we don't need to provide.

Um so if you have any thoughts on that, I would love to hear them.

Because that's hard for me to assess.

Yeah.

Good.

I kind of thought you might.

I do, because we take our charge of advancing development consistent with what the vision of this the community, the city, as being brought forward by the developer, um, with the minimum amount of public investment very, very seriously.

We recognize that it is a tool that um needs to be able to demonstrate that but for this investment, the project won't happen, and also recognize that those revenues that are generated are not going to go where they otherwise would naturally go, that being the city and county of Denver, Denver Public Schools, urban drainage.

And so we are really very mindful of that uh point of tension in trying to determine how much we believe a project should be able to uh receive from the tax increment.

So, in going through that exercise, we require a lot of information from the redeveloper.

We do a very, very thorough review of their development pro forma to understand where are those places where we can really um ensure for ourselves as well as the Dura board that uh we are making an appropriate investment to meet the market where it is, not above, not below, to really advance the project, really focused on making sure that that investment is what it needs to be without incenting the developer to do something otherwise.

So we are really very diligent in our underwriting to determine uh that a project does in fact need our assistance.

There are a number of projects that come to us that we do not provide assistance to because it really is important to us that we maintain the integrity of what the statute charges us to do, utilizing this very important uh public finance tool in order to advance those projects that again meet the criteria of what the city wants, what the community wants, and what a developer can deliver.

Okay, um, and I wouldn't expect anything less of you and your folks, honestly.

Um, I think in this case I'm struggling with it a little bit differently because um, well, tell me to what extent you sort of fully redid all that work when the scope of the project changed, as opposed to saying, look, we've made this commitment to this project, maybe the scope has changed, but we're you know, in other words, did you go back and look at it from that same lens?

We certainly did.

We certainly did.

Okay, thank you for that.

Um, I also have um some questions for Eaton, I think, from the team from Eden.

And I'm sorry that I'm forgetting your name.

Thomas Pakarsick with Eden's.

Thank you so much.

Um, how much of the um someone may have asked this already, but if so, the number flew past me.

The um eligible costs, which is now down to this um 13 million for the revised project.

Can you tell me again how much of the total cost that is?

It's approximately 12% tracing.

Okay.

Off the top of my head.

Um, and uh I know that this is this was the um the VOA.

Are can you explain to me um there's something about the VOA office um listed both in the original plan of the amended plan and then parking spaces for them?

Will they be a tenant here or what's the what's the relationship with them?

Yep, uh Volunteers America, the corner of 27th and Laramer owns um a condo ownership in the building there, the office on the second and third floor, and in the basement of the building, and we're reactivating with retail on the ground floor.

So they are owners of that building uh and would have rights to parking for their office tenants.

They're their office workers.

Okay.

And I'm so sorry, I'm I'm feeling like I'm being extremely slow, but they so they own the current building that would be um, the corner three story office building, they're owners of that building.

And that would stay there.

Correct.

Okay, I gotcha.

That's the historic building.

Not historic, but significant.

Yeah, significant, and they've been there for since 1930.

Okay, right.

I gotcha.

So the so they would remain on the corner and then um the the parcel that um you're developing would include parking for them.

Yes, okay.

Thank you for that.

That helped.

I don't know why I was missing that.

Um let me see.

And can you talk to me a little bit more?

I mean, I understand the um the desire to build housing in the future.

Um how do we like what form does that commitment take beyond sort of it feels a little bit like a promise and an intention, right?

That like if the market gets better at some point you'd like to be able to do it.

Is there anything more concrete than that um where we can rely on that happening at some point down the line?

Um nothing more specifically concrete.

We've experienced really in Rhino over the last few years, two over 2,000 units being delivered each year.

So we've had a glut of supply.

Um, in addition where interest rates have gone uh required returns on development projects on the residential side have increased by 125 and 150 basis points.

So depending on population growth in the city, uh absorption of that supply and interest rates, it'll really kind of triangulate when that moment would be right to move forward.

How many of those units that have um been built in Rhino have been market rate to your if you know?

I do not know.

Um and then I guess I'll just ask this sort of outright, like what what happens here from your point of view if the TIFF financing goes away?

Like what happens to this parcel and and your plans for it?

It would remain blighted as it is today um and not be activated uh without the support of the the door funds.

Okay, and can you talk to me a little bit more just as someone that you know I've never bought and sold real estate in my life other than I moved into a house that my husband already owned, so I literally haven't.

Can you talk to me a little bit more about why this can't be financed with other tools?

Just I mean, just like I'm just asking the question from a place of total zero.

Yeah, uh really about hitting required returns.

Um so it's not about financing, it's really about hitting required returns when you go out to get debt and equity, um, and based off of the current uh kind of income stream and the cost to build, even to rehab, we're not able to meet those requirements.

Okay.

Um, haven't there been a number of other like the market across the street was redeveloped recently, right?

Uh Denver Central Market or uh it was coming up on 10 years.

Uh, where are the owners and operators of that building there?

Was that built with any um public support of any kind or it was not and it's not within the URA?

No.

Okay.

Um there any what's do you own any other properties?

I guess that are outside this um URA?

So across the street, um, that whole really the next block.

We own about 150,000 square feet uh of additional retail and office between kind of uh Laramer, Walnut, 26th and 27th Street.

Okay, and sorry, I just missed the intersections.

That that that's the block that is within the URA?

Say again.

That's the block that is within the URA or not.

It would be across the street, so on the other side of Larimer, uh where Denver Central Market is, Patagonia.

Across Burden, across Larimer.

That strip of retail is um our holdings there.

Okay, um, have the values in this neighborhood gone up quite a bit in the last couple of years?

I mean, are we wrong about that?

Uh real estate values have gone up.

Um as we think about bringing kind of neighborhood service and retail, really a grocer, uh the rents on a large uh grocer are not like they are for a small retail shop.

Yeah, sure.

And that I'm glad you brought that up, actually, because that's I know how valuable that would be in that neighborhood.

And I know that like Melody Market, for example, went under pretty quickly that was would have been a couple blocks away, right?

Um, and there's a small grocer, I think like in an apartment building in that neighborhood as well.

Um so talk to me about, and it may be a Tracy question as well, the solidity of the committee.

I mean, I assume if you can't get a grocer there, um, that you won't lose your financing, is that right?

In other words, if that doesn't work out the way you hope.

Technical, don't go far.

Because I think there are two parts to that.

Part is their ability to pull together their overall development program and have the um the revenues that the the grocer would be bringing to their development program be in place.

On the tax increment side, um, I want to make clear this is I want to make a couple of things clear since I'm back at the microphone.

So on the slide that talks about the tax increment, it should have changed the font here.

There's a list of the total eligible costs that totaled 13 million, but we are only committing to reimburse 9.25.

Got it.

The reason for that is there are always the eligibility.

Exactly.

So but so I wanted to to emphasize that.

Um, and this is going to be a developer reimbursement scenario, so that we will commit to reimburse these costs if they are incurred, and there is increment generated.

So if the development does not perform, we are not at risk in reimbursing those costs.

The developer is is at risk of just not receiving that full amount during the term that of the of the tax increment.

Sure.

And it's just a question, I mean, from sitting up here, it's just always a question of whether we're overshooting and um using tax increment when the tax benefits would still be, you know, would still come along, right?

And then we would get the taxes.

Um so I understand you're saying that that's not the case here, but I'm trying to um I guess kick the wheels on that a little bit.

So um and I'm so sorry, Tracy.

The I I absolutely forget what it was that brought you back to the microphone, but I think we didn't get back to it yet.

I'm so sorry.

That is okay.

That's okay.

Well, all right.

Um I think that's probably all.

Oh, the grocer.

We were talking about the grocery store.

So I just this is a common thing, right?

Like every development um genuinely wants a grocery store, and every neighborhood genuinely wants a grocery store.

We we don't see them.

They I mean, I uh basically never, as far as I can tell.

Um, and that's grocery store economics, which is another thing I don't really understand.

Um so I'm just sort of curious like if that's one of the most um one of the biggest benefits to the neighborhood here, um, how we how we think about that, like how we think about the likelihood of that actually happening, especially when again someone tried to make a go of it, you know, right there in the plaza and um wasn't able to do it.

Um, and I thought that was someone who would pay a lot of attention to what people were shopping for in the neighborhood and everything else.

So I'm just curious about that.

And you are not wrong that uh negotiating with grocery stores is very, very difficult.

That is the component of a number of urban renewal projects over the years, and Tommy is the only one that can speak to the uh the certainty of that.

Do you have are you in conversations with any particular grocers?

Like how how are you?

We're in active conversations with two grocers.

Okay.

All right, that's all I need to know.

Thank you so much.

Thanks, Madam President.

Thank you all for the great discussion.

I see no other council members in the queue.

The public hearing is closed.

Now we have comments of members from members of council on Council Bill 1137.

Councilmember Watson, I'll start with you.

Uh thank you, Council President.

Um, I I wanted to share it first.

Um, thank you to Tom and his team from from Eatens.

Um, the community dialogue that you engaged in, not just for this process, but the first PUD discussion.

Um, it was a door-to-door knocking on uh community members' doors, speaking with them, hosting several meetings that um uh went above and beyond the process of of seeking input, and oftentimes with these types of of development changes, the quick process is often taken.

And so I want to say, you know, thank you for taking those steps for doing that.

Um I want to say also to the neighborhood for being engaged and requiring that Eden and Tracy and her team in Dura came back to community, that they listened and that they had a full process informed by the earlier process that occurred um several years ago, to ensure that there were no gaps missing and community members that voiced concern previously that you provided an opportunity specifically for those community members and anyone else who wanted to attend, but we had the names of numbers of the folks that were um not as supportive of the PUD the last time, and specifically inviting them and giving them an opportunity to have as much time as necessary with Tracy and team.

Um, I thought that was uh important that was um it stood out within this process.

Uh I want to share to my colleagues uh the the Dura process and looking at that strip.

Um the five points area within the art district, um, there are lots of um uh high performing um businesses, but if you visited Larimer Street on that strip, and the years uh almost decades of uh those several buildings um that have not um been successful even prior to Eden's uh providing retail or providing um a community benefit.

Um I know the community has come together and have asked for something to be done.

Uh in the time in of two years, two and two and a half, three years, however long it's been since the the rezone went through, I think it was 2022.

Um, from that time until now, the amount of steps and due diligence that Eden's had to take to make sure that that property doesn't uh deteriorate anymore.

Um I think has been commendable.

We didn't speak to the experience to for VOA uh volunteers um uh for the work of ensuring that they had a space to continue to work that they they began in that community almost what 80 years ago um and still keeping a space within five points for their offices, I thought was also um a brilliant touch.

And so I I share that this has been a very involved process.

Um the commitment to DPS uh demonstrating not reducing the mill, which would have been the normal process for something like this that doesn't have specific um housing attached to it at this um time period, um, that commitment by Dora for that mill levy to remain um is important, and it's important to demonstrate that that is a clear expectation that there will be housing and there will be folks and direct impact of DPS.

Um, for all of those reasons and the many years of dialogue within community um at least the two years that my office has been um involved in discussions.

I encourage my council members uh to support this change and allow uh this community to have uh development on this block that's been missing for um several years upwards towards uh a decade and a half.

Thank you, madam president.

Thank you, Councilmember Hangs.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um thank you, Councilman, Councilmember Watson for your words.

Um, we talked about this in committee.

I happen to uh serve as a member of the committee that heard this before it got to the floor and um and I had mentioned in committee that uh I thought this was important to to mention uh at the floor.

Um this is kind of a we're in a housing crisis here in Denver.

It's a little weird that um that we're deleting um, you know, housing from the process.

Uh and so, you know, it's a scratch my head a little bit, and I think, huh?

Um, you know, we just passed an ordinance eliminating parking minimums because we need shelter for people before we uh build shelter for uh our for cars.

Um that uh uh that this area wants to build um businesses and um wants to delay homes again is a bit of a head scratcher.

Uh we've got um Cherry Creek, the neighborhood that wants to build uh 15 office buildings, and there's not really a whole lot of housing development happening there, but other than uh the Eden site and Cherry Creek, it's a bit of a national anomaly.

Um and then I thought what are what's going on with these businesses, and then I I realized it, you know, we we cast a lot of votes, so um uh so I don't I don't remember the intricate details of each time each vote that we cast and um but I started dusting off the cobwebs of this vote because you know this is my second term and um and so I voted on this before I'm about to vote for it again just for what it's spoiler alert.

Um but uh this uh this particular program is all as a national anomaly in other ways in that it is incubating um uh minority women-owned businesses and in a way that is uh quite successful um for uh for us here in Denver.

But as we heard Eden say, um not only is it so successful here, it's been transported to other cities.

Um and uh so that uh and not just in Eden's now there's uh uh Museum of Black Girls uh on uh 16th Street.

Deleted the four letter word mall.

So um 16th Street.

We've uh uh so this is an incubator that um that really I think very closely resonates with the values that we have uh uh demonstrated time and time again as uh as a council body and um and if housing is getting in the way of uh making sure that we have an incubator that um that is quite successful in making sure that we have local women minority owned businesses that um that see success that move outside of the five-point statistical neighborhood uh to other neighborhoods in Denver, move outside of Denver to other cities around the US.

We absolutely should celebrate that.

So I just want to make sure that that's uh out there as well, so because it on its face is a bit of a head scratcher, but like uh because uh because we're uh removing housing as opposed to leaning in on housing, but I believe that this is the right answer uh for us.

I believe it meets our value system.

Um certainly meets my value system, but I believe it meets the value system for us um as uh as a city, and I think that the with that extra description I think that the people of Denver would understand and want us to vote in favor, and so that's what I'll do.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

See no other colleagues in the queue, Madam Secretary.

We'll call on Council Bill 1137.

Council members Gonzalez Gutierrez, I.

Torres.

I.

Albitres.

No.

Flynn?

Hi.

Gilmore.

Aye.

Heinz.

Cashman, Lewis.

Nay.

Parity, no.

Romero Campbell, aye.

Sawyer, aye.

Watson.

I.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close voting onto the results.

10 ayes.

10 ayes, Council Bill 1137 has passed.

Councilmember Sawyer, will you please put Council Bill 0628 concerning recycling and organic material diversion and in connection there within repealing and reenacting Article 10, Chapter 48, adding a new article 11, Chapter 48, and adding a new article, chapter Article 15, Chapter 10, and amending Article 1, Chapter 24 of the code on the floor for final publication?

I move that council bill 25-0628 be ordered published.

It has been moved and seconded.

Councilmember Parity, your motion to amend.

Yes, ma'am, I was still closing the documents from the last thing.

All right.

I move that council bill 25 0628 be amended in the following particulars.

And I'm sorry, Madam President.

Are we required to do the amendments before the public hearing?

Yes.

Okay.

Because we don't want to have testimony on the unamended version.

Yeah, because if the public hearing isn't on the amendment, so why would we have to move it?

Yeah.

Yeah, so then we have to do everything at the very end.

Sorry, I'm just pausing because I know a lot of the testimony is relevant to the amendments.

So but be that as it may.

Um I move that council bill 250628 be amended in the following particulars on page nine life twelve, following the words described under this article.

Inserted.

Yeah, you're Are you um too far down?

Yep, go back up a page.

We have to go back on here.

Um number one on page three, line 27.

Thank you.

Following the word sub A, strike capital V and replace with from the effective date through December 31, 2035, V.

Close quotes.

Number two, on page four, line 23, strike table one performance security deposit and replace with table one a performance security deposit through December 31, 2035.

Paragraph three, on page five, line one, insert the new lines, insert new lines as follows.

C from January 1, 2036 onward, the following projects are exempt from the recycling and reuse requirements set forth in section 10 414.

One the construction or demolition of a building 300 square feet or less in gross floor area, two the interior improvement repair, remodeling, tenant finish, or any other interior modification where the area of modification totals no more than 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.

Number four, immediately after the lines inserted at page five, line one, insert a new table as follows.

Three columns, first column scope of work, second column amount required, third column maximum amount of the performance security deposit.

First line, first column, new construction of 300 to 1,000 square feet.

Second line, uh second call, first line, second column, 50 cents a square foot.

First line, third column, 1,250 dollars.

Next line, column one, new construction more than 1,000 square feet, column two, a dollar per square foot, column three, 200,000 dollars.

Next line, column one, demolition of a structure, 301 to 1,000 square feet, column two, 50 cents a square foot, column three, 1,250 dollars, and last line of the table, column one, demolition of a structure more than a thousand square feet, column two, a dollar per square foot, and column three, two hundred thousand dollars.

Uh and sorry, there is one more line.

Existing building renovation, tenant finish more than a thousand square feet, one dollar square foot, one hundred thousand dollars.

Number five, immediately after the table inserted at page five, line one, insert the label table one b performance security deposit on or after January one, twenty thirty six.

Number six, on page four, line sixteen, strike table one performance security deposit and replace with table one a performance security deposit through December 31, 2035, or table one B performance security deposit on or after January 1 of 2036.

Number seven, on page four, line eighteen, strike table one and replace with table one A and Table 1B.

Number eight on page five, line one, strike sub C and replace with sub D.

Number nine on page eight, line four, strike and at least every five years after and replace with and at least every three years thereafter until September 1, 2034, after which at least every five years, and number 10 on page eight line seven, strike collected pursuant and replaced with related.

Thank you.

It has been moved.

And seconded comments by members of council on amendment one to council bill zero six two eight.

Um if I can start, madam president, and then if the other sponsors have a word to say about it.

Um for all the language, all this is doing is um uh keeping the size limitations for uh for remodels, new construction, and so on that need to comply with this act, keeping those size limitations the same as the mayor's office um and the city agencies have proposed for the first 10 years, and then in 10 years, um reducing those sizes at that time more in line with um what proponents had advocated for.

And I think that's um something quite reasonable because within 10 years, if all of the large projects in the city are having to divert, um it will be much much easier to um get this kind of material, you know, uh back into back into circulation and dispose of it in a way that's that's in line with the ordinance.

Um so I think it's a strong compromise.

Um, 10 years is a lot of time to build that market up.

The other um the other edit in here is that um all throughout the um these amendments, we're proposing that where city agencies are supposed to report back to city council that instead of doing that um every five years, that they do that every three years for 10 years and then every five years, so that we at least get one report with every new council in the first 10 years of this.

Um so it's essentially one additional report within the first 10 years.

Um, but I agree with proponents that that's important for us to be able to keep tabs on what's going on because every five years is is an age around here, as you all know.

Um, so this this edit is in line with the other amendments in making that change as well, and that's really all this does.

Okay.

Any of the other sponsors' comments questions, Councilmember Flynn?

Thank you, uh Madam President.

What is maybe can someone answer?

I don't know, Councilwoman, if you can or someone from the task force.

What is the reason for going down to 300 square foot interior reno is very you know, that's like one room in a house, it could be a kitchen or or a family room.

What's the rationale for having 500 right now, and then in 10 years going to 300, other than we think you ought to because markets will be there.

Well, what's the point?

Um, Councilmember Flynn, that's a good question.

And I I may ask someone um to speak more to this, but I'm pulling up the um the the idea here actually is ultimately, or the original idea of the ordinance was ultimately to just require um that diversion targets be met for all projects of any size.

And you don't have to divert everything, it's not a hundred percent requirement, um, but you do have to meet whatever the appropriate percentage is.

And so the idea of exempting um smaller remodels um is in and of itself sort of a step back from that.

Um, and so I think essentially, you know, the idea of tightening that up a little bit after 10 years makes some sense to me.

Um, and of course, it's not as though this could never be revisited if there was some reason why that seemed impossible, but really the goal eventually is just to get to where we're putting these requirements on any anything that you would go and get a permit for any kind of significant construction demolition or anything like that.

So, why we didn't just go to all projects in 10 years, I don't know, but trying to keep it gradual because we've heard from the mayor's office and the agencies that that there's a feeling of a need for that, and that it takes what it does take time to build these markets.

Um I will say um Brian from Green Latinos is here, and he's obviously been like a point person among all of the proponents served on the task force helped get this on the ballot to begin with.

Um Brian, if you want to add anything to that, feel completely free, or you can tell me if there's a construction demolition expert here.

I don't see Anna Perks.

I know they're I know she's one that we've spoken to a lot.

Um and I'm in the meantime, I'm gonna try to pull up an email from Anna.

But Brian, is there anything you want to add to that?

Well, I would like to say that Denver is getting to C and D waste diversion sites and diverting from the landfill is as will be part of my testimony, um, state goals as well, right?

So when we think about Denver's oldest housing stock, the the diversion requirements for the first 10 years, um, ignore that, right?

I think it was uh councilwoman Lewis who talked about fix and flips and how in the original version that they're basically excluded from any diversion requirements.

They are the the the volume of space, Jonathan.

You might have some knowledge on this as well.

Because of the square footage.

But the square footage requirements.

500.

I thought it was 2500 to start with.

2500.

Yes, okay.

Yeah, so it goes 2500 down.

Okay.

So 2500 is most of our old housing stock would not be required to have any diversion efforts in that process.

Okay.

Was this discussed at the task force?

No, this is we we had this, I don't remember which committee meeting, but we did we had several committee meetings where we had Tim's laughing.

I'm like, I don't know.

Do you remember that the one of the many times we had this discussion?

I was in, it was in committee.

Um Councilmember Flynn, the task force recommendations were just focused on the percentages.

Right.

Um, and they did have a things have evolved quite a bit from those recommendations, which I think is just worth recognizing because um we could just be sitting here with an ordinance that just implemented those recommendations, and there's actually a lot of of changes that proponents are not pushing back on that agencies requested.

Um but essentially the way those worked was for all of the requirements of waste no more, so composting, construction, everything.

Um there was a very short um basically one year phase in that was based on square footage, but then you were complying with everything from then on out.

Um I remember the and I do remember the council committee meetings.

I was wondering about the task force meetings if this was discussed.

I was addressing the task force.

Right.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, thank you.

All right, I think that's the only question I had on that.

Thank you, Councilmember Watson.

Is there anyone from the city that can speak to any question, any thoughts they have as far as the amendments?

So I'm very curious.

Is your mic on?

It was sounding like it was on.

Uh thank you, madam president.

I was very curious.

I was looking to see if there are folks from the city that coming forward.

The recommended um changes, amendments brought forward, um, would have to be executed by um the city.

Um can you share your thoughts, questions, share your impressions of the impacts of this on your implementation of um waste no more?

Sure.

Thank you, counselor.

Uh Jonathan Wachtel, deputy executive director for the Office of Climate Action Sustainability and Resiliency.

Um, were you if you're it's hard to answer that blanket across all the amendments, um are you wanting to take the first one with the C and D question?

Let's let's walk through there.

I mean, it's not that many.

Let's go through one at a time.

Okay, sure.

Um, and we have Eric Browning also from um community planning and development that can speak a lot to the C and Dynamics.

Um the initial there's a little bit more here than just are we exempting the construction side or the small interior remodels.

Um, there's a compliance uh factor here, and so in the original ordinance for the construction and demolition waste requirements, it was not a diversion percentage.

It had a list of materials that were required to be diverted um from any C and D activity.

During the task force process, there was a recommendation made by the task force that we use a diversion threshold to measure compliance.

And so that's where these thresholds that say, you know, 50% of all the material generated during the project need to be diverted from the landfill.

They also recommended that we put in a system of collecting a security deposit, holding that deposit to ensure compliance, because if a contractor does not follow the rules, can't correct it as you might other building code violations, you can't go to the landfill and get this stuff back.

So and these are things that other communities have put in place as well and can be very effective to help ensure compliance.

Where the complication starts to show up is that on the demolition side, you have a lot of materials that we know we can recycle.

So on most demolition projects, there's going to be a significant amount of aggregates.

And those, if you look at neighboring communities that have these programs, those make up a huge percentage, you know, maybe 35%, 40% or more of the diversion.

Um and we know we have outlets for that.

Then you can add metal, right?

Which is highly recyclable.

You can start adding untreated wood, maybe salvaging some fixtures and pieces of other things.

Mark other percentages of these materials like drywall, there's not a scalable solution yet for recycling.

And hopefully those will come on board.

And the intent the way this was written was we could be able to add, you know, those things down the road when the markets support themselves.

So on the demolition side, putting in the task force recommendation for a 50% diversion rate with this deposit system where you're gonna get it back when you comply, works pretty well, and we've seen it work in other communities.

On the construction side, it gets a little more iffy because taking that approach when you're doing an interior remodel, there may or may not be a whole bunch of aggregate materials to pull out of that project.

There may not be a ton of recyclable or recapturable metal.

We could end up with projects that have a whole bunch of drywall just coming out and other items that not, you know, carpet, things like that by volume, but we're setting up a compliance system where we're saying you need to divert at least 50% and then ramp that up over time.

So it felt it feels a little bit like a difficult space without learning more about the nature of the material flows that are going to be coming out of those, which we'll learn a lot as this gets implemented.

Um as markets evolve, we can be more certain that we're putting a regulation in place that people can actually comply with.

Um so that was the thinking behind it.

Certainly, it also does have this unfortunate reality where yeah, there could be a significant number of fix and flips, interior remodels that don't have to recycle these materials, and there will be materials that could be captured.

So it's not a perfect system, but it's a huge step forward, and the way we wrote it also aligns with neighboring communities' requirements with that 2500 square foot.

Is there anything in the current right way this is written?

Um, I'm not talking about the amendments, the current way the the as proposed by the city that would disallow you to make changes over time based on um learned experience, um new materials, new technology.

Is there anything that stops you from um having um uh meeting expectations of of a continued um improvement of of what you're removing from um that's going into landfill?

There's nothing that should prevent us from changing or increasing those thresholds.

I mean, I think that's a city council action that can be taken, of course, as you know, your roles.

Um, and we built in this regular reporting mechanism, which is really intended to track are we making progress?

Are the markets evolving so that we feel more confident that we can increase these diversion percentage thresholds, help support you know, the number of entities that can actually do this work, the costs hopefully come down, all of those things.

And so, as those evolve, the intent is to come back to council, say here's what we've learned, and make a recommendation on ratcheting up the diversion percentage, ratcheting down the applicability.

Um, I think trying to see the future and write it in feels a little um it might work, it may not, and we could always still go through that process and evaluate it.

I suppose so.

No further questions.

Uh council person.

Do you have any context?

Yeah, I I don't want to um I want to give our you know building official the chance to add if he has any.

Thank you, Jonathan.

Eric Browning, uh building official, you know, community planning and development.

The one other thing I wanted to add with respect to uh the threshold for those interior remodels, and the reason that we chose the 2500 square feet to begin with, which comes back to your question, councilman.

Um, has to do with consistency with other communities um along the front range, and that 2500 is similar in other areas.

There is also a disproportionately higher cost for some of these smaller projects when it comes to implementing this when you do have a very small interior remodel.

Yes, you can take maybe your toilets and your cabinets and your doors and you can repurpose those.

Um, but as Jonathan mentioned, your carpets, your drywall, the things where there are not resources, or quite frankly, in some cases where they will need to go to a landfill just because of their deterioration, um, you know, that just doesn't exist yet.

But to force a project into that um early on doesn't make sense.

So we certainly appreciate maintaining that 2500, you know, for the first 10 years.

Um, we're gonna have a whole lot of data between now and when, you know, the recommended amendments would kick in.

And as Jonathan accurately mentioned um to your question as well, we can change that anytime between now and 10 years out if we decide we need to as well to make it more applicable for those projects to be able to succeed.

Um, we can tighten those thresholds if we need to.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Sawyer?

Thank you, Madam President.

Eric, don't go.

Oh, oh don't go too far, my friend.

I'm really so I'm really glad that you just said the second part of what you said um to council member Watson, because that was my question.

So I want to just say back to you what I think you just said to me, and uh under the requirements of this um amendment.

So I have three teenagers, I love them, they are not clean, and their white carpets are not salvageable.

And so I'm gonna have to one of these days um replace three bedrooms and stairwell worth of carpets.

That's going to put me over this thousand square foot threshold, right?

Does that mean I am gonna have to put down a deposit for a hundred thousand dollars that I will lose because it's carpet and it's gonna have to be recycled, it's gonna have to go in the landfill.

No, like, can you explain to me based on what you said and what I'm looking at here?

Like the legit, like the actual operational implementation of this.

Absolutely.

So to begin with, the languages is proposed when it's initially adopted, will have that exemption at 2500.

In 10 years, yeah.

In 10 years, it does it's proposed through the amendment to drop down to a thousand.

However, the diversion of those materials would only be required if we change the ordinance between now and a decade out and say that carpet is a recyclable or reusable material, if we decide that's the case based on the data and the infrastructure, and it can actually be diverted or reused in some way, then it is possible, um, maybe it doesn't seem likely, but it's possible, um, that you may have to recycle that carpet, which means yes, there will have to be an effort put into separating that carpet from whatever the other materials are that go to a landfill.

Um, and then and but the deposit amount uh is based on the square footage.

So if you had a thousand square feet of carpet, um, and it's either 50 cents or a dollar a square foot, so it would be either 500 or a thousand dollar deposit, right?

And as soon as you this says a thousand square feet, a dollar a square foot, a hundred thousand dollars.

That's the cap.

That's the max the one hundred thousand dollars is the maximum amount.

So if you had a if you know there's a large thing.

It's like a commercial building.

Like a million square foot building, full of carpet still maxes out at that amount.

Yeah, that is a lot more clear to me.

Okay, thank you very much.

I appreciate you.

Okay.

Thanks, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Perry.

Um, yes.

Uh so I wanted to just respond a little bit to I mean, one of the things that we're balancing here is that um, quite honestly, like we've heard from so many people that um have been frustrated with the pace of implementation here, which is just is what it is, um, but also have felt like uh what they voted for was really clear cut and it had 70% approval.

And so um if we're gonna be adding these kinds of restrictions where we're trying to account for present conditions, um I really feel like rather than rather than hope that in 10 years, whoever's up on this dais um remembers that the original intention was to get everybody to comply and thinks, oh, I better run legislation about that.

Um, I would rather we have that planned, right?

Um, assume that the markets will continue to grow, which they will.

Like this is going to impact things when it goes into effect, um, and have that in place is something that we can still alter legislatively, but that the default is that we're um making the scope of this a little bit bigger.

Also, 10 years is is a really long time.

Um, I know that in some there were negotiations back and forth um and at one point conversations about like putting into the legislation that uh these score footages would be affirmatively revisited by the city in like three or five years.

Um, and so this is a longer time out than that.

It's adding um some presumptive targets for that time, it could be changed.

Um, but I have to think that those things will be a lot more realistic than that.

I have also spent a lot of time talking about when you do a remodel.

There's a sink, there's drywall that you know.

I think in 10 years we will be able to do something with drywall, I would hope, for example.

So um, it's just a little bit about what we want the default to be, and I really um hope that people will vote yes and make a default in 10 years that we're gonna be doing a little better than we expect ourselves to do right now.

So I'll just leave it there because I'm not a technical construction person.

Thank you.

Councilmember Flynn.

Thank you, Madam Frank.

Just a quick question for our attorney, John.

Since we're talking about a 10-year period here where it will change in 10 years, and I think Councilman uh Parody, you had mentioned uh that in 10 years, another council might want to revisit depending on changing circumstances.

We are not permitted to change or amend a repeal and initiated ordinance within 10 years without a I guess a majority vote of nine uh for 10 years.

So none of us will be here in 10 years, but is it 10 year?

I mean, we'll be alive, I hope, but I didn't mean I didn't mean that.

Uh does does the 10-year clock start from the final passage of the ordinance by the voters when it was certified, or does it does that tenure clock start when this is a dancing on the head of the pin kind of question?

I apologize.

Uh does it start once we adopt this implementing ordinance?

Well, this isn't the implementing, but does it start once it takes effect?

So let me make sure I saw I was trying to pull it because I was confused for the two sections are because once for referred to it.

Because the language is kind of uh equivocal here to me.

But so if I'm understanding your question, Jonathan Griffith, deputy legislative council.

So if I'm understanding your question correctly, it's when does when did the 10-year clock start?

Right.

It's so it would have started upon the Secretary of State certifying results.

Perfect.

Okay, thank you, Madam President.

I just I just wanted to know when it would be a simple seven-vote majority of the body, as opposed to a nine vote.

Thank you.

Thank you.

See, Councilman Abidra.

I did want to um say a couple of things.

One, um, a question for CPD.

Um, when we talk about something that's 300 square feet, when would you need a permit?

Because I think people think they might need a permit to like put in carpet when they wouldn't.

So what kind of construction are we talking about?

This isn't like anything you do to your house, it's specific.

Correct, and that comes back to um Councilwoman Slayer's question as well.

Your carpet replacement doesn't require a permit anyway.

So uh it's a wash.

Yeah, a thousand square feet at 2500 square feet.

Um, and exactly to your point, the ordinance reply the ordinance applies to those projects which require a construction or a demolition permit.

Um there's a very wide variety of projects, but you can do flooring.

Um, generally you can do cabinetry type work, uh, you can paint, you can do a very limited amount of drywall, um, as long as it's not a you know fire-rated wall and things like that.

Um, I think the basis for a permit is something like the percentage of a room or the house that's being remodeled.

Is that correct?

Or what is the threshold for needing a permit?

No, so if we're talking about residential versus commercial, it's about the the scope of the project that's being worked on.

Uh the cosmetic finish type elements generally is not going to require a permit in both residential and commercial.

Um, in this entire room, you could come in and you do all the furniture and the carpeting and the painting and the lines, um, you could, you know, replace the fixtures as long as you weren't moving electrical around.

Um, none of that requires permitting.

But as soon as you start taking out floors and walls, obviously, you know, doors and windows, things like that would require a permit.

Is it a dollar amount or what is the threshold?

It's it's not.

So the way that the building code is written starts with a blanket of everything requires a permit, and then there's a laundry list of exemptions.

There are a few dozen of them across building and trade related items.

Okay, I appreciate that.

I think it's just important for us to understand like a lot of home remodeling and normal projects that a homeowner will do would not qualify for this.

There's a threshold that would have to be hit in order to get a permit.

Um that's all I had for you.

Thank you.

And then the last thing I wanted to know is that there's also a hardship exemption.

So if this is like your bathroom blew out and you're an elderly person and you need to remodel your home, you need to remodel your bathroom because you had a fly that way you could qualify for potentially an exemption.

So I just wanted to pin that part.

Thank you, Council President.

That's it.

All I had.

Thank you.

See no other colleagues in the queue.

Madam Secretary on amendment one to council bill 0628.

Council members Gonzalez Gutierrez.

Aye.

Torres.

Aye.

Albidris.

Aye.

Flynn.

Aye.

Gilmore.

Aye.

Heinz.

Alright.

Cashman.

Lewis.

Aye.

Parity.

Aye.

Romero Campbell.

Aye.

Sawyer?

No.

Councilmember Watson.

Aye.

Madam President Sandoval.

Aye.

Madam Secretary, close voting announced the results.

11 ayes.

11 ayes count amendment one to council bill 0628 has passed.

Councilmember Parity, your motion to amend.

Alrighty.

It's the one I started reading before.

Um I move that council bill 250628 be amended in the following particulars.

First, on page 9, line 12, following the words open quote described under this article, close quote, insert, open quote, and shall further one post an informational notice to be developed by the Office of Climate Action Sustainability and Resiliency about how to recycle and compost, and two, give a copy of such notice to every new tenant.

The responsible party must retain records of the requirements of this subsection C.

Number two, on page 10 line two, strike or food banks and insert or before food shelves.

Number three, on page 10 lines four to five, strike commissary of food processing wholesale and warehouse establishment or retail food establishment and replace with food waste producer.

Number four, on page 10 line six insert, or in instances where there is no applicable license holder after the word use.

Number five, on page 10 line 11, insert and must ensure training is provided to employees and contractors on recycling and keep records reflecting such training after the word article.

Number six on page 10 line 14, insert and must ensure training is provided to employees and contractors on organic material diversion and keep records reflecting such training after the word article.

Number seven on page 10 line 32 after collect at least all insert back of house deem contaminated.

Number eight on page 11, line 10 after community garden insert other legally permissible recipient of food for human or animal consumption.

Number nine on page 13, strike lines 25 to 31 and replace with no later than September 1 of 2028 and at least every three years thereafter until September 1 of 2034, after which, at least every five years, the director of the Office of Climate Action Sustainability and Resiliency shall provide a written report to City Council, which shall include but is not limited to compliance rates market conditions and other information related to this article.

Thank you.

And seconded comments by members of council on this amendment.

Um I have smashed the button, Madam President.

So I want to these there's a number of things that are accomplished within this one amendment.

So I just want to um make sure I have my red line here, as well as the amendment itself.

All right, so um going sort of paragraph by paragraph uh from our script.

The first change is pretty simple.

It is just to say that um in residential buildings, um, so basically apartment buildings that that landlords have to post something developed by CASER in the area of recycling on compost that talks about how to do it so that people know which bins they're supposed to sort things into.

Um we had a suggestion from the outside that landlords be required to conduct training, and we felt like that would be sort of an appropriate to tell tenants you have to go to this thing that your landlord is holding, um, but that posting a notice was quite achievable, and then also giving it to someone upon move in, um, so that people actually know what to do with those bins, and we don't end up with a bunch of contamination since it's new.

Um line two is where we have greatly reduced this from um prior drafts and conversations with the public health department.

The short version here is that um the bill as filed by the administration um fully exempts food banks, um, but in digging into this a little bit, DDPHE licenses all different kinds of food businesses in the city, and that includes retail food businesses, which is more or less what you would think of as restaurants, it includes food warehousing operations.

Um, and it turns out that if a food bank is handling open food and is open for enough days per year, they're actually just licensed by DDPHE exactly the same as a restaurant.

And so considering that they have the same licensure, um, and that many of them already um do an excellent job of diversion, we're proposing to just use um this the same way that DDPHE decides if they are um a sufficiently sort of permanent operation and they're handling open food that they need to get that retail license, then they should be subject to waste no more, just like anyone else in that licensure category, which includes restaurants and everything else.

So not exempting whatever a food bank is, which also isn't defined in the bill, but just tracking how DDPHE does the licenses, which would capture food banks that are um operating, you know, more than two months out of the year and actually handling open food.

Um and we have a letter from Metro Caring in support of that in the file.

Um the third paragraph, this is just a uh knit edit.

This whole list of categories is what our code defines as food waste producers.

So these are all the types of food waste producers.

So we're just making that replacement.

Um paragraph four um is just capturing a building where let me see.

Sorry, I need to look back at the red line for this one and get to the right page, because I don't want to misspeak.

But it's a catch-all provision related to residential buildings.

So line 10.

Sorry.

Right.

So if there's any um lack of clarity about um whether a license holder with DDPHE, um, if there's more than one license that's sharing a space, or if there is a space that falls under these definitions and nobody has a license with DDPHE, the building owner is then responsible for complying.

And it basically that's meant to capture a situation where um perhaps somebody has not uh renewed their license, even though they would be defined as a food waste producer, but they're um skirting the law and not getting a license.

Then the following edit, um, the following two edits just say that um if you are a food waste producer, so you're a restaurant, you're a food bank, you're any of these things, um, this is adding that in addition to having recycling and composting on site, you also have to train your employees or your contractors about that, um, which I think is a reasonable proposal.

And then the last change is just again going from the five years of reporting to um every three years in the first decade and five years after that to us.

I will leave that there.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilmember Waxton.

Um Thank you, uh Council President.

Um, is there anyone from DDPHE or from the city that can speak to these changes?

And and I've yeah, I'll leave it at that, and then I would just want to ask a question.

Madam President, Counselors Alex Vidal.

Um, legislative liaison for the Department of Public Health and Environment.

We have Danicoldy online as well if there's something that I can't answer.

Yeah, and so uh um I was briefed on this about this morning, and so I'm catching up with all of the changes in this, which is not a norm for me to be voting on this and just learning of this.

Um your team has had the opportunity to review this amendment.

I mean, just start there.

Yes.

What are the questions?

What concerns what impacts on DDPHE do you see with the execution of this uh amendment?

Um, Madam President, uh counselor.

Um the amendments uh um clarifies to some extent the the um categories that would be covered, the licensing categories that would be covered by the the ordinance.

Um the main we know that um some of the discussion was around including, for example, mobile and temporary, and so we're seeing that that's not in the amendment now.

Um, and what um Counselor Perity was saying about food banks.

Some of them are licensed, some of them are not licensed, depending on how much food they handle, uh open food they handle.

And so um now uh under the amendment, um, food banks that have a license it would apply to, and food banks that don't aren't required to get a license, it wouldn't apply to.

And so um I'd be happy to answer more any of more specific questions, um, but we're also just uh reading and interpreting the amendments and essentially who it applied to.

Um thank you.

Um I see, yeah.

Please come forward.

Thank you, Councilor.

Do you have any points?

I'm sorry.

Please elaborate.

Yeah, um, I'll just clarify on the educational requirement piece.

Once again, Jonathan Wachtel, the deputy executive director for CASER.

Um I think a lot of the amendments coming forward have some language that um gets pretty specific on how to sign post-signage, um, you know, rule, you know, what um some kind of language around like what should go into the educational uh and training requirements.

I just want to clarify that there was there is language in the proposed version now that that establishes that there needs to be educational requirements across all of the different topics uh in the in the ordinance, but it leaves kind of the description of exactly how to do that to the process of creating the rules and regulations that would come after this.

And so the intent there was really so that we could be tactical about each type of user and each sector and really develop the requirements for the training, the signage, the communications very specifically, and also be nimble and be able to adjust over time as we see emerging issues and challenges where we have contamination, where we have confusion over what's taking place.

So I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with putting it into the ordinance language as proposed, but like it is already built in.

It was just that the specifics would be determined through the rules and regs, and this way would be a little bit of both.

So for whatever that's worth, that's the context.

That was what I was trying to get to.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Alvidadays.

Thank you.

Um, yeah, I just wanted to clarify this change is really also about defining what is a food bank because some of them have to be licensed and some don't, and we wouldn't need to require composting for one that just has cans and things of that nature.

Um, and then I also wanted to say that I think thank you for speaking to that, Alex.

I think when we talk about food banks, it's so important that we are taking care of all the food as much as possible.

Um, because we are run I have a lot of food scarcity in my district, and so what we do with those leftovers is really important.

Thank you.

That's all.

Thank you.

Councilmember Sawyer.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, I really I really appreciate all of these different amendments that have um been proposed tonight, and I think the sponsors have done a really thoughtful job of kind of walking through the changes that they want and why they want them.

I am I am very concerned about the idea of overregulation, right?

And the last um in the last amendment, what's gonna happen is that people who don't have to apply for a permit don't have to follow waste no more.

People are just not gonna apply for a permit, even when they're supposed to.

We're incentivizing people not to apply for construction permits.

That's a problem because it's our job to care for the health safety and welfare of our residents, including when they are remodeling.

Same thing with a food bank here, right?

They're just not gonna apply for a food bank license, and then we're not going to have the opportunity to um make sure that we're partnering with them that we're you know that the food safety is um in line with where it should be, etc.

Because they're not going to apply for a license.

We're gonna see this coming up when it comes to small businesses.

At the end of the day, what these amendments are doing is over-regulating to the point where we are incentivizing people not to follow our laws, and what that's gonna do is it's going to mean either way.

There's this is this trash is not being diverted.

And so I appreciate so much the the thought and the idea behind these amendments because I think that they're valuable, but at the end of the day, I can't support any of them.

Thanks.

Thank you.

I have a question for Danica, who's online.

Tim, can you promote Danica?