The Denver City Council met on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 3:30 PM, with 12 members present (Flynn absent). The meeting featured a major debate on Bill 26-0328, which revises municipal criminal penalties, multiple public hearings on zoning and landmark designations, and adoption of two Pride-related proclamations. The meeting adjourned at 7:40 PM.
This bill revises chapters 1, 34, and 38 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code to align with the Colorado Supreme Court’s Camp v. Westminster decision and reduce penalties for certain municipal-only offenses. It was introduced by the Health and Safety Committee and had been postponed from June 1, 2026.
Sponsor Position: Councilmembers Lewis, Parady, and Gonzales-Gutierrez (co-sponsors) argued the bill is necessary to comply with state law and to avoid excessive penalties for low-level offenses such as off-leash dogs or unvaccinated pets. They noted that the bulk of changes are already being implemented in courts and that a working group will continue studying outstanding issues.
Opposition: Councilmembers Watson and Sawyer expressed concerns that the bill goes beyond Camp requirements, potentially weakening accountability for quality-of-life crimes. Councilmember Hinds echoed constituents’ worries about downtown revitalization and public safety. Councilmember Watson highlighted that the bill’s initial version reduced penalties for offenses not covered by Camp (e.g., flourishing weapons, threats), which were later amended back to higher levels.
Amendments: Seven amendments were offered by Councilmember Lewis and adopted:
Vote on passage for publication: After amendments, the bill was ordered published as amended by a vote of 10-2 (Sawyer and Watson against). A courtesy public hearing is scheduled for June 29, 2026; final vote will occur later.
This summary is based on official minutes and verbatim transcript. The date of the meeting is confirmed as June 22, 2026.
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's Council meeting. Today is Monday, June 22nd, 2026. Tonight's being 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. 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. Which is us, and thank you very much. Thank you very much. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, June 22nd, 2026. Council members, please join Council Pro Temer Campbell in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members, please join Council Pro Temeral Campbell as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders' past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact erasures and 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, contributions of indigenous communities in Denver. Thank you. Madam Secretary, we'll call. Council members Gilmore. Here, Sawyer. Here. Albitris. Here. Flynn. Gonzalez Cutieres. Here. Heinz. Here. Cashman. Here. Lewis. President. Romero Campbell. Here. Watson. Here. Madam President Sandoval. Here. Twelve members present. There are 12 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes of June 15th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.