OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver Health and Safety Committee Meeting – December 10, 2025: Independence House Acquisition and OIM Briefing

Council Committees — Wednesday, December 10, 2025
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, December 10, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:21:07
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Welcome back to this weekly meeting of the Health and Safety Committee with Denver City Council.

0:09

Coverage of the Health and Safety Committee starts now.

0:17

So it's like more time.

0:22

Good morning and welcome to the Health and Safety Committee meeting for December 10th.

0:27

My name is Daryl Watson, and I'm honored to serve as your chair of the Health and Safety Committee as well as a city council member representing all of the flying district nine.

0:35

We have one action item this morning and a briefing.

0:38

But before we roll into uh the briefing and the action item, why don't we go around the room and have introductions?

0:44

I do believe we have uh council members that are online, so why don't we start with them first?

0:49

Council President and Councilmember Lewis.

0:50

If you're there, I'll turn it over to Councilmember.

1:01

Is Council Council President or Lewis on?

1:06

I'm sorry, it's anything.

1:08

Council President Pro Tem, I see you.

1:10

You're on.

1:10

I'll have you do introductions and we're going around the table.

1:13

All right, good morning.

1:15

Uh Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District 4.

1:19

All right, then we start to our right with Council Member.

1:21

Uh good morning, uh Kevin Plynn, Southwest Denver's District 2.

1:26

Good morning, Amanda Sawyer, District 5.

1:28

And can I just say, Lisa, I love your suit today.

1:31

It's so perfectly holiday.

1:33

I'm bringing the holidays.

1:35

Thank you.

1:35

I live it.

1:37

Uh good morning, everyone.

1:38

Uh Senator Gonzalski.

1:40

Can I one of your council members at large?

1:42

I did like your suit yesterday.

1:43

I didn't get a tense to tell you that it's really.

1:46

I know.

1:46

You're the best dressed one around here.

1:48

I'm like I said, trying to bring the spirit.

1:51

Uh Paul Cashman, South Denver District 6.

1:54

I'm dressed for a funeral, but don't uh don't have one do it 10 thing.

2:01

Um, I say, Sarah Barody, your others, the council member at large.

2:06

Uh thank you all so much.

2:07

And once the uh council members who are sign up for virtual uh show up, we will announce them.

2:13

It appears that council president.

2:15

I think you might be on.

2:17

Um I wanted to make sure we all pause for you.

2:21

Thank you, Mandy Shannon, North West Denver District 1.

2:24

Thank you.

2:26

And Jamie Torres, West Denver District 3.

2:28

Thank you.

2:29

Thank you all.

2:30

We have one action item.

2:31

It's a voting item uh today on the agenda.

2:34

It's 252032 from Department of Finance and Lisa Lumley.

2:39

I'll turn it over to you for introductions and the floor is yours.

2:42

Thank you.

2:42

Good morning, Lisa Lumely, Director of Real Estate.

2:45

And Greg Morrow, Director of Community Corrections, Department of Safety.

2:48

So we are here this morning for a proposed acquisition of Independence House, which is located at 4101 North Pecos Street.

2:57

So I'm gonna ask Greg to just kind of go over some background.

3:01

Good morning, Mr.

3:02

Chair, members of council.

3:04

Um as Lisa mentioned, I'm gonna go ahead and provide some background in the business case for the proposed acquisition.

3:10

I think that most, if not all, are extremely familiar with sort of where we're at with community corrections and sort of the transition, but I'll walk through this quickly.

3:20

Back in 2019, there was a policy decision to begin to shift us away from solely relying on the private sector as service providers for community correction services.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████86%
Mental Health Awareness██3%
Fiscal Sustainability█2%
Public Health Policy█2%
Technology and Innovation█2%
Public Engagement█2%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Community Engagement█1%
Legislative Affairs█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver Health and Safety Committee Meeting – December 10, 2025

The Health and Safety Committee of the Denver City Council met on December 10, 2025, chaired by Councilmember Daryl Watson. The meeting included one action item (acquisition of Independence House for community corrections) and a briefing from the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) on its semi-annual report. The consent calendar was approved without any items pulled.

Consent Calendar

  • Routine approvals from prior meetings were adopted unanimously with no items removed.

Discussion Items

1. Action Item: Acquisition of Independence House (Bill 252032)

  • Presenter: Lisa Lumley (Director of Real Estate) and Greg Morrow (Director of Community Corrections, Department of Safety)
  • Background: The city has been transitioning away from for-profit private prison operators (GEO and CoreCivic) since 2019, closing six residential programs and losing 500 beds. Three city-owned facilities (Dahlia, Columbine, Thule Hall) have been purchased, and a lease at 570 West 44th was secured. Current total bed capacity is approximately 270, down from a 2019 peak of 750. The target is 360–450 beds. Independence House, operated by Manny Rodriguez at 4101 North Pecos Street, currently houses 75 men. Mr. Rodriguez plans to exit the state contract, and the city seeks to purchase the site for $8,025,000 (including $25,000 in closing costs) from the Capital Improvement Fund. The acquisition would preserve 75 beds and allow continued operation through late 2026/early 2027 while the Dahlia facility (90 beds) undergoes renovation.
  • Key Statistics: Waiting list for community corrections is 120 individuals; 50 are in jail awaiting placement. Average wait time is nearly six months. The purchase price is $8 million for CIP, with an additional $25,000 for closing costs. Estimated life-safety and ADA improvements based on prior acquisitions range from $250,000 to $400,000.
  • Council Questions & Comments: Councilmembers expressed strong support and appreciation for Mr. Rodriguez’s work. Councilmember Flynn inquired about the Dahlia renovation schedule and noted the decline from 750 to 270 beds, asking why the target is not higher. Morrow explained that fewer people are being afforded community corrections due to capacity constraints, and DOC referrals have dropped. Councilmember Torres asked about the loss of the ARTS contract (therapeutic community beds operated by CU Denver) and its impact on treatment options. The program provided 125 beds for intensive substance-use treatment; those beds are now closed statewide.

2. Briefing: Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) Semi-Annual Report

  • Presenter: Monitor Elizabeth Perez Castle
  • Topics Covered:
    • Suspected Overdoses in DSD Jails: Nine deaths in 2025 so far, four confirmed as overdoses. The OIM recommended administrative investigations; on July 25, 2025, Director Saldate ordered such investigations. The OIM is part of a task force to address contraband.
    • Education-Based Development (EBD): The OIM opposes EBD, arguing it undermines accountability. They reviewed draft policies in March, July, and August 2025. A final draft is expected to be sent to OIM for review. A full council briefing is planned for Q1 2026.
    • OIM Audit: The Denver Auditor’s Office completed an audit in September 2025 with four findings and six recommendations. OIM generally disagrees with the findings but will implement recommendations, particularly regarding transparency around deliberative privilege.
    • Aggregate Discipline Data (first half of 2025): DPD closed 216 cases; OIM returned 34.7% for additional work. DSD closed 178 cases; OIM returned 56.2%. Seven DPD officers terminated, six retired/resigned; four suspended. For DSD: 104 community inmate complaints (12% increase from 2024), 219 internal complaints (14% increase from 2023); eight deputies retired/resigned; two suspended.
    • Staffing Needs: OIM requested an additional position (approved for half-year in 2026) but caseloads have doubled since 2022. They may request another analyst.
  • Council Discussion: Councilmember Parady asked about the distinction between criminal and administrative investigations. Councilmember Sawyer highlighted that increased complaints may not reflect increased misconduct but better reporting; she asked for clearer communication in future reports. Councilmember Flynn defended EBD, stating it can offer corrective paths for low-level violations and that the program has evolved since July. The Chair noted a final document will be presented for full council discussion in Q1 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Action Item Approved: The acquisition of Independence House (Bill 252032) was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously (via thumbs-up vote). The purchase price is $8,025,000 from CIP funds. The closing is expected to align with the end of 2026, contingent on extending the service agreement with Mr. Rodriguez.
  • OIM Briefing Received: The committee received the semi-annual report. No formal vote was taken. The Chair committed to scheduling a full council briefing on the final EBD policy in the first quarter of 2026.
  • Next Steps: The Department of Finance and Real Estate will proceed with due diligence and facility assessments. The OIM will continue to monitor overdose investigations and provide updates in the annual report (due March 15, 2026).

Meeting Transcript

Welcome back to this weekly meeting of the Health and Safety Committee with Denver City Council. Coverage of the Health and Safety Committee starts now. So it's like more time. Good morning and welcome to the Health and Safety Committee meeting for December 10th. My name is Daryl Watson, and I'm honored to serve as your chair of the Health and Safety Committee as well as a city council member representing all of the flying district nine. We have one action item this morning and a briefing. But before we roll into uh the briefing and the action item, why don't we go around the room and have introductions? I do believe we have uh council members that are online, so why don't we start with them first? Council President and Councilmember Lewis. If you're there, I'll turn it over to Councilmember. Is Council Council President or Lewis on? I'm sorry, it's anything. Council President Pro Tem, I see you. You're on. I'll have you do introductions and we're going around the table. All right, good morning. Uh Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District 4. All right, then we start to our right with Council Member. Uh good morning, uh Kevin Plynn, Southwest Denver's District 2. Good morning, Amanda Sawyer, District 5. And can I just say, Lisa, I love your suit today. It's so perfectly holiday. I'm bringing the holidays. Thank you. I live it. Uh good morning, everyone. Uh Senator Gonzalski. Can I one of your council members at large? I did like your suit yesterday. I didn't get a tense to tell you that it's really. I know. You're the best dressed one around here. I'm like I said, trying to bring the spirit. Uh Paul Cashman, South Denver District 6. I'm dressed for a funeral, but don't uh don't have one do it 10 thing. Um, I say, Sarah Barody, your others, the council member at large. Uh thank you all so much. And once the uh council members who are sign up for virtual uh show up, we will announce them. It appears that council president. I think you might be on. Um I wanted to make sure we all pause for you. Thank you, Mandy Shannon, North West Denver District 1. Thank you. And Jamie Torres, West Denver District 3. Thank you. Thank you all. We have one action item. It's a voting item uh today on the agenda. It's 252032 from Department of Finance and Lisa Lumley. I'll turn it over to you for introductions and the floor is yours.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com