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Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council General Session: August 10, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 10, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, August 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 38:28

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
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.

0:37

Darn it.

0:38

There we go.

0:38

Now for real.

0:39

Good afternoon.

0:41

And thank you for joining us to the Denver City Council meeting.

0:44

Today is Monday, August 10th, 2026.

0:47

Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish.

0:50

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

0:59

Yes, of course.

1:00

Thank you.

1:01

Hello, everyone.

1:02

My name is Sam Guzman joining you virtually through Zoom.

1:07

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

1:12

Please allow me a quick moment.

1:57

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, August 10th, 2026.

2:02

Council members, please join Council Member Heinz in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:26

Council members, please join Council Member Heinz as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement.

2:33

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.

3:27

Council members Alvidas.

3:33

Here Sawyer.

3:38

Here Gilmore.

3:40

Here.

3:46

Here.

3:48

Lewis.

3:49

President.

3:50

Torres.

3:51

Here.

3:52

Watson.

3:53

Here.

3:54

Madam President Romero Campbell.

3:56

Here.

3:59

Twelve members present.

4:01

There are twelve members present.

4:03

Council has a quorum.

4:05

Approval of the minutes.

4:06

Are there corrections to the minutes of Monday, August 3rd?

4:11

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

4:16

Are there any corrections to the minutes of August 5th?

4:22

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

4:25

Council announcements.

4:27

Are there any announcements from members of Council?

4:36

Let's start with Councilman Wattsman.

4:39

Watson.

5:00

Uh I know since I've been city council member have communicated their concerns about speeds and speeding along that corridor.

5:08

Um we've held several meetings over the last three years and have made small initial steps to provide for safer streets um this past week.

5:18

Um unfortunately, someone lost their lives on that um that avenue.

5:25

Um that I've spent time with in these discussions have shared with me that they actually witnessed um this person, the accident that occurred, and it's actually I'm gonna use the correct term, the crash that occurred because the city is aware of the speeds on that avenue.

5:47

We have done several studies to demonstrate that the speeds are too high.

5:52

Our offices have taken steps to lower the speed limit.

5:54

However, hardening with vertical um infrastructure to slow those speeds has not occurred.

6:01

I understand the why, I understand the gaps in the budget, but the community members that saw that crash and saw someone uh die on their streets in their neighborhood is something that they will have to live with.

6:14

And so I say to my neighbors in Park Hill, we'll continue working with you, collaborating with the Department of Transportation Infrastructure, the mayor's office, and through our budgeting process, the budget funds to ensure that we increase the safety on all streets across um the city and county of Denver.

6:31

Um, and then to the family that lost a loved one due to this uh unfortunate crash.

6:36

Um my heart goes out to them and to those that witness it.

6:41

Um my heart goes out to you, and I look forward to continue listening and working with you on solutions.

6:46

Thank you, Council President.

6:48

Thank you.

6:49

Uh Councilmember Alvidres.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████27%
Technology and Innovation███████████████████19%
Personnel Matters████████████12%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Contracts And Procurement█████████9%
Community Engagement████████8%
Community Planning█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Transportation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council General Session: August 10, 2026

On Monday, August 10, 2026, at 3:30 PM, the Denver City Council convened for its weekly general session with 12 members present. The meeting included approval of minutes, council announcements, a split vote on a controversial resolution, and unanimous passage of a consent agenda covering numerous contracts and administrative items.

Council Announcements

  • Councilmember Watson expressed condolences over a fatal crash on a Park Hill corridor and called for increased traffic calming infrastructure, noting that community members witnessed the crash.
  • Councilmember Hinds reported that as of August 10, 2026, there have been 41 traffic deaths in Denver under Vision Zero, urging the city agency to implement safety fixes.
  • Councilmember Torres announced the upcoming open house for the Burnham Yard small area plan.
  • Councilmember Lewis updated on the municipal sentencing working group and invited councilmembers to a community event.
  • Council President Romero Campbell promoted the South by Southeast summer concert.

Consent Calendar (Passed En Bloc, 12-0)

  • Minutes of August 3 and August 5, 2026, approved.
  • Resolutions (26-1091, 26-1089, 26-1090, 26-1063, 26-1079, 26-1080, 26-1081, 26-1082, 26-1083, 26-1101, 26-1084, 26-1086, 26-1064, 26-1065, 26-1075, 26-1076, 26-1077, 26-1078) : All adopted unanimously. Key items include:
    • Amendatory loan agreement for income-restricted units at 1371 Xenia Street (26-1091).
    • Purchase orders for street sweepers, paint striping vehicle (26-1089, 26-1090).
    • Contract amendments for software (Q-Matic, Workday, Jaggaer) and legal services (Kaplan Kirsch) (26-1079, 26-1080, 26-1081, 26-1082).
    • Appointments to Denver Nonprofit Engagement Commission and Prosperity Denver Fund Board (26-1083, 26-1101).
    • Medical examiner scope of work and chronic disease grant (26-1084, 26-1086).
    • Dedication of public right-of-way on North Bryant and North Decatur Streets (26-1064, 26-1065).
    • Construction contract for Eugene Field Branch Library renovation ($3,611,881.68) (26-1075).
    • Major airport contracts: North Terminal Expansion program management ($135 million), ICS maintenance ($83.3 million), AGTS revitalization support ($30 million) (26-1076, 26-1077, 26-1078).
  • Bills for Final Consideration (26-0992, 26-1041, 26-1042, 26-1043, 26-1040, 26-1048, 26-1055, 26-1044, 26-1045) : All placed upon final consideration and do pass unanimously. Highlights include:
    • Capital equipment purchases (forklift, floor scrubber, de-ice vehicle) (26-0992, 26-1041).
    • Establishment of Universal Recycling and Composting Fund (26-1042).
    • Land acquisition for Quebec & Airlawn Bridge Project (26-1043).
    • Classification and pay plan amendments (26-1040).
    • Charter amendment submissions for November 2026 special election (26-1048, 26-1055).
    • Sanderson Gulch design and construction improvements, co-funded with Mile High Flood District (26-1044, 26-1045).

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 26-1116 (Sunny Side Up Solutions) : Councilmember Lewis called this item out for separate consideration. The resolution would amend a contract with Sunny Side Up Solutions LLC to add $600,000 (new total $1,000,000) and extend five years through 12/31/2031 for employment brand video production. Teresa Marshad (Director of Marketing, Office of Human Resources) presented success metrics: social media-driven applications increased 12% from 2023 to 2024 (14,000 to 16,000), Instagram applications up 53%, and a LinkedIn case study showed a quadrupled engaged candidate pool. She argued the extension ensures continuity and is cost-effective compared to competitors ($120,000/year vs. potential $6.7 million from alternative vendors). Councilmember Lewis and Torres raised concerns: Lewis asked about return on investment and the impact of layoffs on hiring; Torres questioned the eight-year contract length and the use of Mayor’s Executive Order 8 to bypass competitive bidding. The city attorney confirmed that Executive Order 8 allows justifications for contracts beyond five years. The resolution ultimately failed on a 6-6 tie vote (Ayes: Alvidrez, Hinds, Kashmann, Sawyer, Watson, Romero Campbell; Nays: Flynn, Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Lewis, Sandoval, Torres).
  • Bill 26-1043 (Quebec & Airlawn Bridge Project) : Councilmember Lewis provided supportive comments, noting that the project addresses a safety issue from the Vibrant Bond process: bridges over Smith and Sundown Roads are nearing end of life and pose response-time concerns for fire engines at Station 26. The land acquisition ordinance is a necessary step for replacement construction.

Bills for Introduction (Ordered Published)

  • 26-1036: Contract with Denver Health for correctional health care services at County Jail and Downtown Detention Center ($55,031,460).
  • 26-1085: Amendatory agreement with Denver Health to add part-time WIC educator.
  • 26-1087: Amendatory agreement with Colorado Division of Criminal Justice for community corrections funding ($8,393,627).
  • 26-1088: Ordinance amending the RiNo General Improvement District board terms.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 26-1116 failed (6-6).
  • Consent agenda including 17 resolutions and 9 bills for final consideration all passed unanimously (12-0).
  • Bills for introduction were ordered published.
  • Meeting adjourned at 4:08 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. Darn it. There we go. Now for real. Good afternoon. And thank you for joining us to the Denver City Council meeting. Today is Monday, August 10th, 2026. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Jasmine, would you please introduce yours introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Yes, of course. Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Sam Guzman joining you virtually through Zoom. And along with my colleague Alejandro today, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Please allow me a quick moment. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, August 10th, 2026. Council members, please join Council Member Heinz in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members, please join Council Member Heinz 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. Council members Alvidas. Here Sawyer. Here Gilmore. Here. Here. Lewis. President. Torres. Here. Watson. Here. Madam President Romero Campbell. Here. Twelve members present. There are twelve members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes of Monday, August 3rd? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Are there any corrections to the minutes of August 5th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any announcements from members of Council? Let's start with Councilman Wattsman. Watson. Uh I know since I've been city council member have communicated their concerns about speeds and speeding along that corridor. Um we've held several meetings over the last three years and have made small initial steps to provide for safer streets um this past week. Um unfortunately, someone lost their lives on that um that avenue. Um that I've spent time with in these discussions have shared with me that they actually witnessed um this person, the accident that occurred, and it's actually I'm gonna use the correct term, the crash that occurred because the city is aware of the speeds on that avenue. We have done several studies to demonstrate that the speeds are too high.

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