OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting - January 26, 2026: Proclamation, ICE Concerns, and Contract Approvals

City Council — Monday, January 26, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, January 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:07:29
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

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

0:09

Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

0:22

Good afternoon.

0:23

Thank you everyone.

0:26

Start that again.

0:28

Good afternoon everyone.

0:29

Thank you, Tim. Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining us.

0:34

Thank you for taking time to join the Denver City Council meeting.

0:38

Today is Monday, January 26, 2026.

0:42

Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish.

0:46

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

0:59

Jasmín, we'll be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish.

1:09

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

1:13

Buenas tardes a todos.

1:15

Mi nombre es Samuel Guzmán con la CLC.

1:18

Y juntamente con mi colega, Jasmín, estaremos interpretando la reunión de hoy al español.

1:23

If you join us virtually through Zoom,

1:27

search for a globe icon that says interpretation.

1:31

Open the button and select the option of listening in Spanish.

1:36

If you join us virtually and is right in the camera,

1:40

please search for a assistant that can give you headphones to be able to listen.

1:46

Thank you and thank you very much.

1:49

Thank you very much, Sam.

1:50

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, January 26, 2026.

1:58

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

2:05

Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,

2:14

one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

2:20

Council members, please join Councilmember Gilmore as they lead us in the Denver City

2:28

Council land acknowledgement.

2:30

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional

2:36

territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho people.

2:40

We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the land

2:47

that make up the state of Colorado.

2:49

We honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout

2:54

generations.

2:56

We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon

3:01

and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous peoples.

3:07

May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of

3:13

oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of

3:19

Indigenous communities in Denver.

3:23

Mr. Secretary, roll call.

3:29

Heinz? Here.

3:33

Louis?

3:35

Torres? Here.

3:41

Alvitres? Here. Gilmore? Here.

3:45

Gonzalez Gutierrez? Here.

3:49

Cashman? Here. Parody?

3:53

Romero-Campbell? Here. Sawyer? Here.

3:57

Watson? Here. Madam President? Here. 12 members present. We have there are 12 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes of January 20th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements from members of council? Councilmember Sawyer?

4:24

Thank you, Madam President.

4:29

This is our last week in the District 5 January blood drive.

4:37

January is National Blood Donor Month.

4:39

We do a blood drive every January to help support our community.

4:46

We know that people do not generally donate blood over the holidays,

4:50

so there's always a pretty low point in January,

4:54

but that does not limit the number of people who actually need blood during that time.

4:59

So if any of you are available to donate this week, please do.

5:03

We are partnered with Vitalant over in Lowry, which is a part of District 5, just north of the Great Lawn,

5:09

and we would love to have you participate.

5:11

And then second announcement, we will be having our annual District 5 community open house

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development███████████████████████████████████████39%
Homelessness██████████████████████████████30%
Procedural███████7%
Community Engagement███████7%
Arts And Culture█████5%
Racial Equity████4%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Historic Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting - January 26, 2026

On Monday, January 26, 2026, the Denver City Council held its weekly general session. The meeting included a proclamation honoring Tracy Huggins for 33 years of service at the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, extended council member statements on federal immigration enforcement and local safety issues, and adoption of several resolutions and bills. All 12 council members were present.

Consent Calendar

  • Proclamation 26-0078: Adopted unanimously (12-0) honoring Tracy Huggins for 33 years of service to Denver, recognizing her leadership in major redevelopment projects including Stapleton, Lowry, Union Station, and the 16th Street Mall.
  • Council Resolution 25-2154: Approved (12-0) a contract with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless for the Housing Central Command (HCC) Stabilization Project, providing funding for client stability beyond rental assistance citywide.
  • Council Resolution 25-2153, 25-2151, 25-2166, 26-0002, 26-0003, 26-0018, 26-0019, 26-0020, 25-1982, 26-0004, 26-0007, 25-2149, 25-2146, 25-2156, 25-2144: All adopted or passed as part of the consent agenda with 12-0 votes.

Council Member Announcements (Extended Testimony on National and Local Issues)

  • Councilmember Gonzalez-Gutierrez reported attending a teachers’ walk-in at Skinner Middle School in solidarity with Minneapolis, denouncing ICE enforcement and calling for abolition of ICE. She urged contacting U.S. Senators to oppose additional ICE funding.
  • Councilmember Alvidrez raised concerns about a tiny home village in District 7, noting an assault on a resident and questioning operator response (resident had to run to a neighbor to call 911). He asked the mayor to re-evaluate operations.
  • Councilmember Parody requested the mayor join calls for senators to vote against ICE funding, even at risk of government shutdown, criticizing the mayor’s statement for not addressing the upcoming funding vote.
  • Councilmember Watson reported on a community meeting regarding Denver Water’s potential move into the Laird-Swansea neighborhood, and noted the National Western Stock Show set a record with over 750,000 visitors.
  • Councilmember Cashman highlighted the “People’s Budget” participatory budgeting process, with $2 million available citywide and $1 million for southeast Denver neighborhoods.
  • Councilmember Sawyer promoted the District 5 blood drive and community open house.
  • Councilmember Romero-Campbell noted ICE presence in southeast Denver and encouraged Know Your Rights outreach, and reminded about surveys for Kennedy Golf course redevelopment.

Discussion Items

  • Council Resolution 25-2154 (Questions before vote): Councilmember Parody asked the Department of Housing Stability (HOST) about performance-based contract elements, including cost-of-living adjustments (2.5%), staff caseload ratios, retention rates, and pay transparency. HOST representatives (Jeff Kositsky and Midori Higa) explained that caseload ratios are monitored weekly, with a target of 1 case manager per 20 households; the contract adds eight new case manager positions (totaling 16). HOST does not mandate specific pay rates but reviews provider budgets. Parody expressed intent to ensure contracts support fair wages.
  • Council Resolution 26-0040 (Postponement): Postponed one week to February 2, 2026, at the request of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to finalize paperwork for a robotic system truck purchase.
  • Council Bill 25-2156 (Comments): Councilmember Alvidrez supported the consolidation of the Office of Special Events into Denver Arts & Venues, noting cost savings and easier community access.

Key Outcomes

  • Proclamation Adopted: Unanimous adoption of Proclamation 26-0078 honoring Tracy Huggins.
  • Consent Agenda Passed: 12-0 block vote adopting multiple resolutions and bills.
  • Contract Approved: Funding for Colorado Coalition for the Homeless HCC Stabilization Project approved (12-0) after questions.
  • Resolution Postponed: Council Resolution 26-0040 (Vortex Companies truck purchase) postponed to February 2, 2026.
  • Public Hearings Scheduled: February 23, 2026, for zoning changes at 1675 E 35th Ave, 2001 S Acoma, and 1215 E Andrews Dr. Protests due by noon on February 17, 2026.
  • Meeting Adjourned: Regular meeting adjourned; general public comment began at 5 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

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. Thank you everyone. Start that again. Good afternoon everyone. Thank you, Tim. Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for taking time to join the Denver City Council meeting. Today is Monday, January 26, 2026. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Jasmine, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Jasmín, we'll be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Please allow me a quick minute while I give instructions on how to access interpretation. Buenas tardes a todos. Mi nombre es Samuel Guzmán con la CLC. Y juntamente con mi colega, Jasmín, estaremos interpretando la reunión de hoy al español. If you join us virtually through Zoom, search for a globe icon that says interpretation. Open the button and select the option of listening in Spanish. If you join us virtually and is right in the camera, please search for a assistant that can give you headphones to be able to listen. Thank you and thank you very much. Thank you very much, Sam. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, January 26, 2026. Council members, please join Councilmember Gilmore in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Council members, please join Councilmember Gilmore 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 people. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the land that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of Indigenous communities in Denver. Mr. Secretary, roll call. Heinz? Here. Louis? Torres? Here. Alvitres? Here. Gilmore? Here. Gonzalez Gutierrez? Here. Cashman? Here. Parody? Romero-Campbell? Here. Sawyer? Here. Watson? Here. Madam President? Here. 12 members present. We have there are 12 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes of January 20th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements from members of council? Councilmember Sawyer? Thank you, Madam President.

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