Denver City Council Transportation & Infrastructure Committee - November 4, 2026

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the Denver City Council met on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 1:00 PM in Room 391 of the City & County Building. Vice Chair Kevin Flynn presided because Chair Flor Alvidrez was a sponsor of both action items. The committee advanced two action items to the full council and approved eight consent items. Minutes list 8 members present and 1 absent (Gilmore); recorded votes show 6 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent, with some attendees not voting on committee business.

Consent Calendar

• 26-1410 — Amended intergovernmental agreement with Denver Public Schools, adding $3,700,000.00 for a new total of $4,180,000.00 and five years, with a new end date of 2-6-2032, to support current and future DPS sustainability-related programs citywide.
• 26-1584 — Approved a contract with Milender White Construction Company for $83,820,959.00 and 650 days for the Legacy Concourse Restroom Renewal at Denver International Airport, Council District 11.
• 26-1619 — Amended contract with Touchstone IQ LLC, adding $11,224,754.00 for a new total of $28,955,453.00 and five years, with a new end date of 12-31-2031, for Energize Denver Help Desk, compliance administration, communications support, and supporting systems citywide.
• 26-1633 — Authorized the Manager of Finance/CFO to issue $500 million in Airport System Tax-Exempt Bond Anticipation Note Subordinate Obligation, Series 2026A, for cash flow for current projects in the airport's 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Plan.
• 26-1634 — Approved a five-year, $5,500,000.00 on-call airport planning services contract with INTERVISTAS CONSULTING USA LLC at Denver International Airport, Council District 11.
• 26-1635 — Approved a five-year, $6,500,000.00 on-call airport planning services contract with RICONDO & ASSOCIATES INC at Denver International Airport, Council District 11.
• 26-1636 — Revoked Ordinance No. 378, Series of 2006, which granted a revocable permit to Exempla St. Joseph Hospital for an enclosed pedestrian bridge over North Franklin Street between East 18th Avenue and East 19th Avenue, Council District 10.
• 26-1637 — Revoked Resolution No. 0602, Series of 2015, which granted a revocable permit to The Bike Hub, Inc. for a bike station building and associated utilities at 1800 16th Street, Council District 10.

All consent items were approved by consent.

Action Item 26-1540 — Best Value Contracting Ordinance

• Sponsors Alvidrez and Hinds presented the revised ordinance amending Article IV of Chapter 20 on competitive selection for certain contracts. They said it had changed substantially after further meetings with industry, labor, and the administration. They described only two new substantive requirements beyond existing law: OSHA 10-hour safety training and a requirement for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to direct workers to health insurance options such as the Colorado Exchange, plus a one-time reusable attestation form.
• Sponsors reported raising the prime contract threshold from $500,000 to $1 million, removing the weighted scoring system, eliminating apprenticeship requirements, narrowing the health insurance provisions, and reducing administrative requirements.
• Sponsors opposed exempting subcontracts under $500,000, stating that 85-90 percent of construction work is performed by subcontractors, most subcontracts are under $500,000, and an exemption would make the bill largely symbolic. They also cited the Denver Auditor's position that covering all subs is the only meaningful way to enforce prevailing wage and manage liability.
• Sponsors opposed exempting MWBE firms, arguing that firm size should not determine worker protections. They noted that the Department of Labor defines a small firm as up to $45 million and that the 2023 wage theft ordinance, passed unanimously, did not include a firm-size exemption.
• Deputy Mayor and General Services Executive Director Adrena Gibson and DEDO Executive Director Adeep Khan expressed concern about added burdens on small, minority- and women-owned businesses. Khan cited a recent disparity study involving more than 475 firms and said Denver is already seen as 'the most cumbersome' place to do business; adding requirements conflicts with the study's recommendations.
• Matthew Fritzmauer of the Denver Auditor's Office said wage-violation risk increases down the subcontracting chain and exemptions would increase that risk.
• Former Adams County Commissioner Chess Tedesco said Adams County initially covered only prime contractors and later amended its ordinance after about $300 million in projects to include subcontractors, because wage theft and safety problems persisted. He said he did not support exempting small businesses at the expense of workers.
• Robert Wheeler of the City Attorney's Office raised a drafting concern: as written in version 9, the word 'willfully' applies to signing the certification rather than to making a false certification, so good-faith mistakes could still create debarment risk. Sponsors said that was not their intent; debarment should be reserved for knowing or willful false certifications.
• Councilmember Lewis asked how to balance worker protections against burdens on small businesses, especially MWBEs, and no consensus was reached on the exemption question. Councilmember Hinds suggested studying the implementation's effects before final decisions.
• Councilmember Watson, not a voting committee member, said after multiple briefings he wanted the bill to go to the floor.

A motion by Councilmember Lewis, seconded by Councilmember Hinds, to approve Council Bill 26-1540 for filing carried 6-0, with Gilmore absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Caroline Leland, a District 6 resident, Smart Growth Program Manager at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, and member of Denver Streets Congress, said her mother and grandmother were killed in a car crash. She urged the committee to use the Transportation and Mobility Special Revenue Fund for physical street design changes and transit services, not parking enforcement or marketing, and to specify allowable uses and a capital-spending percentage.
• Shelsey Ochoa, a parent of two, said she lost her car to theft and now struggles to move around the city with children; she called the diversion of dedicated safe-streets funds 'a slap in the face' and urged the council to use the money for its intended purpose.
• Erica Orashko was listed for public comment but did not appear.

Action Item 26-1654 — Transportation and Mobility Special Revenue Fund

• Sponsors Alvidrez and Lewis presented an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 1291, Series of 2021, which created the fund in 2021 through a doubling of parking meter rates to fund pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and Vision Zero improvements.
• They cited 94 traffic deaths in 2025 and 58 additional deaths through October 30, 2026, noting the toll outpaces gun-violence deaths. They described prior fund misuse: $200,000 in 2024 to remove infrastructure, $100,000 in 2025 to replace a vetted study, and $8.4 million in 2026 allocated to parking-related contracts. The 2027 spending plan includes $8.9 million for parking operations previously funded from the general fund.
• The proposal would set an effective date of July 1, 2028; tie spending to adopted plans such as Vision Zero, Safe Routes to School, Denver Moves, bikes, pedestrian trails, and transit; prohibit transfers to the general fund; allow the balance to roll over; require at least 50 percent of funds for capital projects; require DOTI to present an annual plan to the DOTI Advisory Board; and define allowable uses.
• DOTI Chief Operating Officer Cindy Patton said the $8.9 million parking-related cost was legally permissible and had helped close a $200 million general fund gap last year, avoiding roughly 60 layoffs. She said the parking management systems funded by that amount unlock about $40 million in revenue, of which about $12.4 million flows to the special revenue fund.
• Councilmember Hinds shared that he joined the disability community after being hit by a car in 2008 and strongly supported the fund protections. He raised accessibility concerns about the Montbello Connector microtransit service; Patton said the vehicles are contracted and she would look into accessible options.
• Councilmember Watson suggested the DOTI Advisory Board should proactively present a white paper of priorities to DOTI, similar to other city advisory boards.
• Council President Romero Campbell supported the measure, saying the $9 million would be difficult to replace, but the fund should be put into the right categories.
• Councilmember Kashmann asked about the 50 percent capital requirement; sponsors said DOTI had requested a five-year average, advocates wanted one year, and they compromised on three years. Kashmann also asked whether studies are included; sponsors said studies are covered under services and supplies, and asked about bus stop benches; Patton said amenities vary and maintenance is an operating expense.
• Councilmember Flynn asked whether the ordinance would prohibit removing infrastructure paid for by the fund; sponsors said they were focusing on affirmative uses and were working on language to ensure changes do not reduce safety. Flynn also raised concerns that green infrastructure could divert money from transportation safety and asked for 'successor plans' language so future adopted plans remain eligible; sponsors said they were continuing to refine the allowable-use list.

A motion by Council President Romero Campbell, seconded by Councilmember Hinds, to approve Council Bill 26-1654 for filing carried 6-0, with Gilmore absent.

Key Outcomes

• Council Bill 26-1540 was approved for filing and will advance to the full council. Sponsor Alvidrez said unresolved items — construction/maintenance definition, implementation date, cure period, and MWBE application — should be worked out before first reading. Mayor's Council is scheduled for November 10, 2026, and first reading for November 16, 2026.
• Council Bill 26-1654 was approved for filing and will advance to the full council.
• Eight consent items were approved as listed.
• Fifteen minutes of public comment were offered on 26-1654; two members of the public spoke and one no-show occurred. No public comment was taken on 26-1540.