OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Regular Meeting - April 20, 2026

City Council — Monday, April 20, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, April 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

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

0:08

Tonight's coverage of Denver City Council starts now.

0:21

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

0:24

Today is Monday, April 20th, 2024.

0:28

Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish.

0:31

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

0:39

Yes, of course.

0:39

Thank you for having us.

0:40

Hello, everyone.

0:42

My name is Sam Guzman with the CLC, joining you virtually through Zoom.

0:47

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

0:52

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

1:33

Thank you very much, Sam.

1:34

Just want to make an announcement to the public.

1:36

I'm sure you all saw we have a huge event going out front.

1:41

So just use caution.

1:42

It's the 420 rally.

1:44

Um so just use caution when you're leaving the city and county building because there's lots of people out there, and it's gonna get loud.

1:50

I heard Snoop Dogg get on right around 420, which is in the middle of this meeting.

1:55

So thank you all for your patience during this rally that we're having.

2:02

Um Monday, April 20th, 2026.

2:09

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

2:14

This is the flag of the United States of America.

2:21

One nation under God, indivisible with European justice.

2:28

Thank you.

2:29

Council members, please join Councilmember Torres if they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement.

2:35

Thank you, Madam President.

2:46

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Yu Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples.

2:55

We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands and make up the state of Colorado.

3:31

Thank you.

3:32

Madam Secretary, we'll call Councilmember Splend.

3:38

Here Lewis Present.

3:49

Here.

3:59

Torres.

4:00

Here.

4:01

Watson.

4:02

Here.

4:03

Madam President Sandoval.

4:04

Here.

4:05

Thirteen members present.

4:07

There are 13 members present.

4:08

Council has a quorum.

4:10

Approval of the minutes.

4:11

Are there corrections to the minutes of April 13th?

4:14

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

4:17

Council announcements.

4:18

Are there any council announcements from members of Council?

4:24

Councilmember Albidares.

4:26

Thank you so much, Council President.

4:28

I want to share a couple of events this week in District 7.

4:31

We have the e-waste event.

4:33

Westwash Park Registered Neighborhood Association is hosting their annual e-waste recycling event this coming Saturday.

4:40

Drop off anything from old speakers, laptops, kitchen appliances, cell phones, vacuums at the Royal Crest Building this Saturday, April 25th from 10 a.m.

4:50

to 1 PM.

4:51

Please check out Lucky District 7 Socials for a full list of items they will or will not be accepting.

5:00

Denver, and on another note, the Front Range Passenger Rail, as they've been hosting their community conversation town halls.

5:05

We'll have a QA at South High School this coming Wednesday from 6 to 7.30 p.m.

5:11

This is an opportunity to learn more about the project, ask the team questions, and provide valuable community input and have your voice heard.

5:18

So hope to see you there.

5:19

Thank you, Council President.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████32%
Environmental Protection███████████████████████23%
Parks and Recreation████████████12%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Announcements██████6%
Legislative Affairs█████5%
Pending Litigation████4%
Climate Resiliency███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Regular Meeting - April 20, 2026

The Denver City Council convened its regular session on Monday, April 20, 2026, at 3:30 PM. All 13 council members were present. The meeting included the adoption of an Earth Day proclamation, discussion and amendment of a zoning bill, and approval of numerous resolutions and bills en bloc. The meeting adjourned at 4:35 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes of April 13, 2026, were approved unanimously.
  • Proclamation 26-0551: Honoring Earth Day 56 (April 22, 2026). Adopted 13-0.
  • Resolutions Adopted En Bloc (13-0):
    • 26-0464: Contract with Rocky Mountain Human Services for $2,580,000 to provide stability navigation services to at least 300 people with intellectual/developmental disabilities experiencing homelessness, citywide.
    • 26-0462: Second amendatory agreement with Northwest Cascade, Inc. for portable toilet rentals, adding $3,000,000 for a new total of $10,000,000 through 5/31/2028.
    • 26-0475: Renewal of city property and liability insurance policies not to exceed $15,118,569.
    • 26-0437 through 26-0449, 26-0458-26-0461: Mayoral appointments/reappointments to various boards and commissions.
    • 26-0465: Third amendatory agreement with United HealthCare Services, Inc. adding $150,000,000 (new total $415,000,000) for health insurance through 12/31/2027.
    • 25-1979: Amendatory grant agreement with Denver Urban Gardens adding $1,730,790 (new total $5,192,372) for food access and nutrition education in Districts 3, 7, 8, 9.
    • 26-0405: On-call contract with DIG Studios Inc. for $2,500,000 for landscape architecture services, citywide.
    • 26-0472: Grant agreement with Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund for $2,000,000 for My Outdoor Colorado program through 12/31/2030.
    • 26-0467: Grant agreement with Colorado Department of Transportation for $9,750,000 ($7.8M federal, $1.95M city) for Alameda Ave Underpass Improvements design/environmental work (District 7).
    • 26-0501: Loan agreement with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless for $3,200,000 to develop 60 permanent supportive housing units at 3721 N Globeville Rd (District 9).
    • 26-0466: Contract with Cutler Repaving, Inc. for $6,533,912.21 for roto-milling and hot-in-place recycling of 95 lane miles of streets, citywide.
    • 26-0468, 26-0470: Contracts with Ash & White Construction and Sky Blue Builders LLC, each for $10,000,000 for on-call landside facilities maintenance at Denver International Airport.
    • 26-0469: First amendment with Ricondo & Associates, Inc. adding $750,000 (new total $2,250,000) for airport planning services at DEN.
  • Bills for Final Consideration Passed En Bloc (13-0):
    • 25-2085: Relinquishing a portion of utility easement near 748 S Cherokee St.
    • 26-0422: Ordinance approving donation of surplus American bison to American Indian tribes and nonprofits, removing prior sunset.
    • 26-0390: Amending classification and pay plan for Career Service employees (Classification Notice #1889).

Discussion Items

  • Council Bill 26-0476 (Zoning Change): A bill to rezone three properties (4458 N Pearl St, 5275 N Franklin St, 4621 N Telluride St) from U-MX-3, I-B, and PUD 319 to OS-A. Councilmember Gilmore noted the bill title incorrectly listed 4621 N Telluride as being in Globeville when it is actually in Green Valley Ranch. An amendment was offered and passed 13-0 to correct the title: inserting "in Globeville" after the two Pearl/Franklin addresses and replacing "Globeville" with "Green Valley Ranch" for Telluride. Councilmember Gilmore then spoke in opposition, citing lack of transparency from Denver Parks and Recreation regarding planned maintenance facilities in Sloan’s Lake, Cuernavaca Park, and Green Valley Ranch, and alleging diversion of $5.4 million from the Green Valley Ranch facility. The bill was ordered published as amended with a vote of 12-1 (Gilmore nay). A subsequent correction noted the amendment vote was 13-0, including Councilmember Parady.
  • Council Bill 26-0422 (Bison Donation): Councilmember Gilmore spoke in favor, highlighting the historical importance of buffalo to Native American tribes, the Tallbull family’s advocacy, and the climate benefits of buffalo restoration. Lewis Tallbull provided moving testimony about the sacred relationship between bison and the Cheyenne people and expressed gratitude for the program becoming permanent. The bill passed en bloc.

Key Outcomes

  • Proclamation 26-0551 (Earth Day) was adopted unanimously.
  • Council Bill 26-0476 was amended and ordered published as amended; a required public hearing is set for May 18, 2026. Protests must be filed by noon on May 11, 2026.
  • All resolutions and bills on the consent agenda were approved 13-0.
  • Future required public hearings scheduled: May 18, 2026, for CB 26-0391 (3232 Larimer St rezoning) and CB 26-0476 (rezoning three properties).
  • The meeting adjourned at 4:35 PM.

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. Thank you for taking the time to join us for Denver City Council's meeting. Today is Monday, April 20th, 2024. 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? Yes, of course. Thank you for having us. Hello, everyone. My name is Sam Guzman with the CLC, joining you virtually through Zoom. And along with my colleague Jasmine, we will 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, Sam. Just want to make an announcement to the public. I'm sure you all saw we have a huge event going out front. So just use caution. It's the 420 rally. Um so just use caution when you're leaving the city and county building because there's lots of people out there, and it's gonna get loud. I heard Snoop Dogg get on right around 420, which is in the middle of this meeting. So thank you all for your patience during this rally that we're having. Um Monday, April 20th, 2026. Council members, please join Councilmember Torres in the Pledge of Allegiance. This is the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God, indivisible with European justice. Thank you. Council members, please join Councilmember Torres if they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. Thank you, Madam President. The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Yu Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands and make up the state of Colorado. Thank you. Madam Secretary, we'll call Councilmember Splend. Here Lewis Present. 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 corrections to the minutes of April 13th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements from members of Council? Councilmember Albidares. Thank you so much, Council President. I want to share a couple of events this week in District 7.

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