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Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Health and Safety Committee: Prosperity Denver Fund & Flavored Tobacco Ban – Jan 14, 2026

Council Committees — Wednesday, January 14, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, January 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:10:53
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Welcome back to this weekly meeting of the Health and Safety Committee with

0:04

Denver City Council. Coverage of the Health and Safety Committee starts now.

0:19

My name is Darrell Watson. I'm honored to serve all the residents of the fine

0:24

District 9 and also to be the chair of this great committee. We have two

0:28

important briefings this morning and before we jump into the briefings why don't we go around

0:32

the table for introductions and we'll start i'll start on my left thank you mr chair paul cashman

0:38

south denver district six hi amanda sawyer district five and i believe we have two council members

0:44

online if you can hear my voice jump on in councilmember flynn and councilmember gonzalez

0:49

Gutierrez. Yes thank you Mr. Chair Kevin Flynn Southwest Denver's District 2. Thank you. Hi everyone

0:58

uh Selena Gonzalez Gutierrez one of council members at large. Thank you both for joining. We have two

1:04

important briefings this morning. We have my good friend Rebecca Arno and team presenting for

1:10

Prosperity Denver Fund and Rebecca I'll turn it over to you to introduce

1:19

your team and then I'll hand over the presentation we have a little bit of an

1:23

echo I know our working on it because they are professional see there so I'll

1:31

say it again Rebecca Arno with prosperity Denver fund I'll turn over to

1:35

you to introduce your team great thank you so much councilmember Watson it is

1:40

wonderful to be here and I am here with two members of our board our board chair

1:46

Teresa Pena and our board chair elect Felica Houston and we are delighted to

1:53

be here to share about prosperity Denver funds progress for the year and I know a

2:01

couple of additional folks have come in so if you wanted to I think we're fine

2:06

once you continue we'll introduce our council president thank you so much for

2:09

joining Sandoval and comes president for Tim Romero Campbell and just to

2:15

acknowledge that Councilmember Romero Campbell is also on the board of

2:20

Prosperity Denver Fund. So welcome. So here's what we're going to do today. We're

2:24

going to share a little bit about our activity to date. We'll share with you

2:29

our partner organizations and some outcomes that they've had. Our fund

2:33

balance issue that we started to deal with over the last year and I can share

2:39

with you both our progress and our projections and then a few things that

2:43

are on the horizon for us. And before I start, I think what I'll do is let you all know that we,

2:52

as I did last year, I met with each individual council person and talked to you about your own

2:58

district and how we are working in your district. We're going to do that again this year.

3:03

The other thing that's exciting is that we now have a communications team, and we are going to

3:09

be able to create articles for your newsletters and we'll be working with your teams directly on

3:15

that. So just letting you know. All right. So our mission, we actually have tightened up our mission.

3:23

So I'm wondering, Teresa, do you want to read our mission statement?

3:28

Or would you like me to? Go ahead. Okay. Prosperity Denver Fund maximizes the investment

3:35

of Denver taxpayers to support nonprofits that help students with financial need pursue college

3:40

and career opportunities. Together we ensure Denver prospers now and for generations to come.

3:48

We have three programs through which we do this. As you will recall, we receive 0.08 percent of

3:56

Denver sales tax and we fund three programs in a reimbursement model, college and technical

4:04

school scholarships, career training which is apprenticeships and credentials, and high school

4:09

support programs. So here are our totals to date since our inception in 2019. We've worked with 89

4:18

partner organizations. We've funded over 15,000 scholarships, 1,100 credentials, 47,000 high

4:28

school students and our total fund distribution is 65 million thus far.

4:36

So to look at our growth and funding over the course of time, as you will recall in 2023 the

4:45

City Council voted to adjust our ordinance so that we are able to, we had started with just

4:52

the one program college and technical school scholarships and in 2023 we were able to add

4:58

credentials and apprenticeships and we were able to add high school support services so that

5:04

resulted in increased money out the door and we have continued to drive forward with adding new

5:13

supported organizations so that we can get more money out so as you can see we started

5:20

with four years at a relatively flat rate.

5:23

In 2023-24, we gave away $16.3 million.

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And we've already, in 2024-25, in just our first funding cycle, given away $16.6 million.

5:35

We, this is our biggest funding cycle of the year.

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But unlike previous cycles, we are actually going into our spring cycle for 2024-25

5:45

with about 20 organizations on the list who are coming in.

5:50

So our record for spring is 700,000,

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and we are going to blow that out of the water.

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It will be over a million plus.

6:00

So we are continuing the growth curve.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health Policy█████████████████████████████29%
Workforce Development███████████████████████23%
Youth Programs████████████████16%
Procedural██████████████14%
Public Engagement█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Public Safety████4%
Environmental Protection███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Health and Safety Committee Briefings – January 14, 2026

The Health and Safety Committee of the Denver City Council, chaired by Councilmember Darrell Watson (District 9), held two briefings: an update from the Prosperity Denver Fund and a presentation on the implementation of the flavored tobacco ban from the Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE). No votes or consent items were taken.

Prosperity Denver Fund Update

  • Rebecca Arno (CEO), board chair Teresa Pena, and chair-elect Felicia Houston presented the fund’s progress since its 2019 inception.
  • Key statistics: 89 partner organizations, over 15,000 scholarships, 1,100 credentials, 47,000 high school students served, and $65 million distributed. In 2023–24, $16.3 million was disbursed; the first cycle of 2024–25 already reached $16.6 million.
  • Programs: college/technical school scholarships, career training (apprenticeships/credentials), and high school support services (mentorship, financial aid, family connection, academic support, mental health).
  • Fund balance: Approximately $30 million in 2024, with $2.6 million spent in the past year. The board projects full expenditure by fiscal year 2027. A commitment reserve was established to support current students through college in case the program sunsets in 2030 without reauthorization.
  • Outcomes: Investment increased college attendance and graduation rates in Denver by 8% per year. The Denver Scholarship Foundation increased scholarships by 41% and the amount per scholarship by 28%.
  • Future plans: Expand partner organizations, create evaluation cohorts to measure student outcomes (especially for small nonprofits), conduct an economic impact study, and strengthen the post-secondary ecosystem through a learning community.
  • Discussion: Councilmember Cashman asked about high school support services; Arno explained the five focus areas. Council President Pro Tem Romero Campbell praised the acceleration of funding distribution and the commitment to students. Council President Sandoval questioned whether the ordinance requires a vote of the people for reauthorization, citing the Denver Preschool Program’s experience with a council-sponsored ordinance to remove sunset. She advised the fund to exhaust all options before pursuing a ballot measure. Teresa Pena noted a separate reauthorization committee is being formed.

Flavored Tobacco Ban Implementation

  • Teddy Montoya (Tobacco Program Manager) and Brendan Gentry (Tobacco Program Supervisor) presented on the enforcement of the flavored tobacco ban, effective January 1, 2026, after 70.5% of Denver voters approved Referendum 310 in November 2025.
  • Evidence base: CDC recommends comprehensive bans (including menthol) to reduce youth initiation. Flavors mask harsh tastes, and menthol increases addiction. Disproportionate targeting of Black, Latino, and LGBTQ communities.
  • Youth data: Past 30-day vaping dropped from 19.5% (2019) to 6.5% (2023); flavored product use declined from 27% to 19%. However, menthol use remains around 30% among youth (statewide). Retail compliance is a concern: youth not refused when purchasing rose from 72% to 87% (2023).
  • Enforcement: DDPHE conducts undercover age inspections (two to four per retailer annually; ~578 retailers). Updated fine schedule (April 2025) treats flavored tobacco sales as a critical violation. If sold to a minor, two violations apply: $1,000 and $2,000 fines plus a 30-day suspension. A look-back period expands from 12 months (2026) to 24 months (2027) to 36 months (2028).
  • Retailer education: Bulletins, FAQs, direct mail, window clings, point-of-sale decals, and a forthcoming compliance video. In-person outreach will resume after a pause in Q3 2025.
  • Discussion: Councilmember Sawyer reported that her teenager purchased flavored vapes from the back of a store on Colfax, highlighting continued black-market sales. She asked how to report (311) and if the ordinance language may need tightening; DDPHE agreed to return with recommendations. Council President Pro Tem Romero Campbell asked about measuring youth reduction; DDPHE noted reliance on biennial Healthy Kids Colorado data (lagging) and a pilot vape waste diversion program with five Denver high schools (tracking brands and flavors). Daniel Neiman explained the environmental hazards of discarded vapes.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee received both briefings as information items; no formal votes were taken.
  • Prosperity Denver Fund will continue individual district meetings with council members and provide newsletter content.
  • DDPHE will deliver an annual evaluation report on the flavored tobacco ban to the council in June or July 2026.
  • Councilmember Sawyer and staff will follow up with DDPHE on potential ordinance amendments to address enforcement gaps.
  • The committee chair, Darrell Watson, thanked co-sponsors of the flavored tobacco ordinance (Sawyer, Gonzalez-Gutierrez, Lewis) and the supporting agencies.

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. My name is Darrell Watson. I'm honored to serve all the residents of the fine District 9 and also to be the chair of this great committee. We have two important briefings this morning and before we jump into the briefings why don't we go around the table for introductions and we'll start i'll start on my left thank you mr chair paul cashman south denver district six hi amanda sawyer district five and i believe we have two council members online if you can hear my voice jump on in councilmember flynn and councilmember gonzalez Gutierrez. Yes thank you Mr. Chair Kevin Flynn Southwest Denver's District 2. Thank you. Hi everyone uh Selena Gonzalez Gutierrez one of council members at large. Thank you both for joining. We have two important briefings this morning. We have my good friend Rebecca Arno and team presenting for Prosperity Denver Fund and Rebecca I'll turn it over to you to introduce your team and then I'll hand over the presentation we have a little bit of an echo I know our working on it because they are professional see there so I'll say it again Rebecca Arno with prosperity Denver fund I'll turn over to you to introduce your team great thank you so much councilmember Watson it is wonderful to be here and I am here with two members of our board our board chair Teresa Pena and our board chair elect Felica Houston and we are delighted to be here to share about prosperity Denver funds progress for the year and I know a couple of additional folks have come in so if you wanted to I think we're fine once you continue we'll introduce our council president thank you so much for joining Sandoval and comes president for Tim Romero Campbell and just to acknowledge that Councilmember Romero Campbell is also on the board of Prosperity Denver Fund. So welcome. So here's what we're going to do today. We're going to share a little bit about our activity to date. We'll share with you our partner organizations and some outcomes that they've had. Our fund balance issue that we started to deal with over the last year and I can share with you both our progress and our projections and then a few things that are on the horizon for us. And before I start, I think what I'll do is let you all know that we, as I did last year, I met with each individual council person and talked to you about your own district and how we are working in your district. We're going to do that again this year. The other thing that's exciting is that we now have a communications team, and we are going to be able to create articles for your newsletters and we'll be working with your teams directly on that. So just letting you know. All right. So our mission, we actually have tightened up our mission. So I'm wondering, Teresa, do you want to read our mission statement? Or would you like me to? Go ahead. Okay. Prosperity Denver Fund maximizes the investment of Denver taxpayers to support nonprofits that help students with financial need pursue college and career opportunities. Together we ensure Denver prospers now and for generations to come. We have three programs through which we do this. As you will recall, we receive 0.08 percent of Denver sales tax and we fund three programs in a reimbursement model, college and technical school scholarships, career training which is apprenticeships and credentials, and high school support programs. So here are our totals to date since our inception in 2019. We've worked with 89 partner organizations. We've funded over 15,000 scholarships, 1,100 credentials, 47,000 high school students and our total fund distribution is 65 million thus far. So to look at our growth and funding over the course of time, as you will recall in 2023 the City Council voted to adjust our ordinance so that we are able to, we had started with just the one program college and technical school scholarships and in 2023 we were able to add credentials and apprenticeships and we were able to add high school support services so that resulted in increased money out the door and we have continued to drive forward with adding new supported organizations so that we can get more money out so as you can see we started

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