Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee Meeting — September 15, 2026

The Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Denver City Council met on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. (starting about 10 minutes late), with Chair Amanda Sawyer (District 5) presiding. The minutes list 10 people present: Flynn, Gilmore, Vice-Chair Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Romero Campbell, Chair Sawyer, Torres, Watson, Kashmann, Lewis, and Sandoval — including three attendees in addition to the seven committee members listed in the meeting header. The committee approved a block of three tax-fund alignment ordinances (7-0), a block of two Downtown Development Authority funding agreements (7-0), and the $970,000 Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell contract amendment (6-1), and approved 17 consent resolutions. The chair also announced that the Altera contract and IGA were pulled from the agenda and will be heard in October to allow more review time.

Consent Calendar

• All 17 consent items were approved by consent, including:
  • 26-1306: City Council appointment of Angel Hurtado to the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors.
  • 26-1307: Appointment of Fa'al Ali to the Denver County Cultural Council.
  • 26-1311 through 26-1316: Reappointments of Andrea Albo, Anne Rowe, LaKeshia Allen Horner, Lydia Prado, Nathaniel Cradle, and William Zaki Robbins to the Denver Preschool Program Board of Directors (terms 1-1-2027 through 12-31-2029).
  • 26-1317: Radha Kilaru to the Denver Asian American Pacific Islander Commission (term 9-1-2026 through 9-1-2029).
  • 26-1318 and 26-1319: Alezandro Ruvalcaba and Patrick Walton to the Human Rights and Community Partnerships Advisory Board (terms 9-30-2026 through 9-30-2029).
  • 26-1320 through 26-1323: Adriana Lopez, Charlene Emory-Proctor, Jill Perks, and Whitney Woods to the Denver Women's Commission (terms 10-1-2026 through 9-30-2028).
  • 26-1327: Contract with West Series of Lockton Companies, LLC for $1,125,000 (through 12-31-2031) for consulting on the city's medical insurance plans and employee benefits.
  • 26-1333: Ordinance amending the boundaries of the Denver Downtown Development Authority.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Rebecca Arnold, executive director of Prosperity Denver, expressed support for the tax-fund alignment ordinances, saying the Office of Children's Affairs will now have resources to do more to help oversee taxpayer resources. She acknowledged the new 1% administrative fee means the organization will have a little less money to distribute to student-serving partners, but said the money will be better spent through the strengthened partnership.
• A representative of the Office of Children's Affairs (OCA) said the audit report found that OCA lacked sufficient oversight of the Prosperity Denver funds, and described the change as strengthening the partnership and an opportunity to bolster both financial and programmatic capacity.

Discussion Items

Tax-Fund Alignment Ordinances (Council Bills 26-1362, 26-1363, 26-1364)

• Councilmembers Jamie Torres and Amanda Sandoval presented a block of three ordinances aligning rules for the three nonprofit entities that receive city sales-tax revenues: Caring for Denver (0.25% sales and use tax), Denver Preschool Program (0.15%), and Prosperity Denver (0.08%).
• The ordinances prohibit spending Caring for Denver tax revenues on staff-specific wellness programs and prohibit spending of all three funds on alcohol and other administrative expenditures. They align Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) responsibilities, standardize expenditure controls, and establish a dedicated city administration and oversight fee of up to 1%, modeled on the Denver Health and Hospital Authority Tax Funds fee.
• The proposed city admin fee is to be budgeted in advance by the administering department (Department of Public Health and Environment for Caring for Denver; Office of Children's Affairs for the other two), with unutilized funds returned to the administering organization the same year.
• The Caring for Denver administrative allowance increases from 5% to 7%; Denver Preschool Program remains at 7%; Prosperity Denver retains its separate 5% plus 5% structure. The ordinances also clarify Caring for Denver co-responder program funding to include alternative response programs and rename the Denver College Affordability Fund to the Prosperity Denver Fund.
• Council President Romero Campbell expressed support, calling the proposals good governance and responsive to auditor review. Chair Sawyer asked about the budget impact; Laura Swartz (Department of Finance) said the 1% is not currently built into the proposed 2027 budget, and Finance will follow up on the timeline.
• Timeline presented: committee hearing today (September 15); first reading September 28; final reading with three public hearings on October 5; effective January 1, 2027.
• Motion by Romero Campbell, seconded by Watson; approved by voice vote in a block, 7-0.

Downtown Development Authority Funding Agreements (Council Bills 26-1335 and 26-1336)

• Donna Wilder (Department of Finance) presented two ordinances approving DDA funding agreements in Council District 10. The city transfers funds it holds in trust to the DDA, which then effectuates loan or grant agreements; the city is not a party to those underlying agreements.
• University Building office-to-residential conversion (900-918 16th Street): developer University Building Loft Owner LLC. Total project cost is estimated at about $73 million, with a DDDA loan of $14.7 million. The project will bring 120 net new housing units, all affordable at 30-80% AMI, with amenities including a food pantry, transit passes, community room, fitness room, resident storage, and bike room. Unit mix: 57 studios, 52 one-bedrooms, and 11 two-bedrooms. The affordability covenant is 40 years, matching the 4% LIHTC (Chaffa) requirement. Delivery is anticipated in early 2028.
• Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) project: conversion of 6,300 square feet of former office/bank space at 17th and Glenarm into affordable art studios, galleries, micro cinemas, and artist storage. Total project cost is just over $1.7 million, with a DDDA grant reimbursement of $1.35 million (including $500,000 for site acquisition). CAST must meet minimum evening, weekday, and weekend programming; hold exhibitions and public receptions; allow public and private booking; and maintain a 95% occupancy rate. If CAST does not complete construction or ceases active operations, an option agreement requires sale of the property to the DDDA for $1. Delivery is anticipated in summer 2027.
• Councilmember Watson asked about lessons learned from the failed Denver Immersive Theater project. Wilder explained that the earlier contract allowed funds to be advanced, and that the DDA is conducting an audit of paid funds; the new agreements are structured as reimbursements with site inspections before disbursement. Councilmember Sandoval, a DDDA board member, said the DDA now has its own attorney and outside auditor and has created backstops to prevent a recurrence.
• Councilmember Watson also asked about engagement with community artists and indigenous and BIPOC arts organizations. A CAST representative formerly with Red Line Contemporary Arts Center described a 20-year list of Denver artists and partner organizations in need of affordable space, and said centering indigenous and BIPOC communities is core to CAST's work.
• Motion by Watson, seconded by Torres; approved by voice vote in a block, 7-0.

Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell Contract Amendment (Council Resolution 26-1343)

• The amendment adds $500,000 to the city's contract with Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell LLP, for a new total of $970,000, and revises the scope of work to continue legal services to the city on employment matters citywide. The original $470,000 agreement covered the Everett Martinez lawsuit; the additional $500,000 covers the Jessica Calderon lawsuit. The city is not obligated to pay amounts above $470,000 until Council approves the amended agreement.
• City Attorney Miko Brown, employment and labor law section director Rob Nessborg, and Vic Toniki from the mayor's office presented. Brown cited the firm's success: 12 for 12 in contested filings in the Martinez case; a protective order hearing win in which Judge Catherine Starnella awarded Section 1927 sanctions (described by opposing counsel as potentially putting him out of business and forcing Martinez to drop his lawsuit); and a preliminary injunction win in the Calderon case that allowed the city to end Ms. Calderon's employment and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Brown stated the city negotiated a blended $800 per hour rate; the lead partner's normal rate is $1,300 per hour, and AIG pays the firm $1,000 per hour for partners and $700 for associates. She noted Wheeler Trigg previously prevailed on a $50 million claim for the city against Adams County, and that Martinez himself engaged the firm in 2023. Brown said she left the firm in 2017 and has no conflict, and that the firm was selected unanimously by a five-person panel after a competitive bid process considering four firms.
• Councilmember Stacie Gilmore expressed concerns about the city attorney participating on the selection panel for her former firm, referencing the Park Hill land swap, FAA scrutiny, the Vibrant Denver Bond, and the deportation flights context. She asked for the item to be held to a date certain and requested that the committee consider invoking subpoena power. Chair Sawyer stated that a subpoena decision would not be made in this committee and that not all council members were present to weigh in.
• Councilmember Lewis asked about the status of the sanctions on appeal and remaining case costs. Brown said the city is seeking roughly $300,000 in attorney fees tied to the sanctions motion, but could not yet estimate the full cost of the remaining litigation in either case.
• A motion by Gilmore to postpone the item to a date certain (October 20) failed by roll call vote of 2-5 (Gilmore and Gonzales-Gutierrez in favor; Flynn, Romero Campbell, Sawyer, Torres, and Watson opposed).
• A motion by Watson, seconded by Romero Campbell, to approve the resolution for filing carried 6-1, with Gilmore dissenting. Chair Sawyer reminded viewers that a yes vote in committee means only that the item is ready for consideration by the full 12-member council, not a yes vote on the floor.

Key Outcomes

• Council Bills 26-1362, 26-1363, and 26-1364 were approved for filing in a block by a 7-0 voice vote.
• Council Bills 26-1335 and 26-1336 were approved for filing in a block by a 7-0 voice vote.
• Council Resolution 26-1343 was approved for filing by a 6-1 roll call vote; the earlier motion to postpone to October 20 failed 2-5. The item now moves to the full council.
• The 17-item consent calendar was approved by consent.
• The Altera contract and IGA were removed from today's agenda and rescheduled for the October committee meeting.
• Note on discrepancies: The minutes spell the vice-chair's surname Gonzales-Gutierrez, while the committee header spells it Gonzalez-Gutierrez. The transcript does not explicitly record Torres's vote in the roll call for the postponement motion, but the minutes record it as nay; this summary uses the minutes' tally.