Thanks for joining us for this weekly joint meeting of the mayor and Denver City Council.

Follow along as the mayor and city council members hear updates from city agencies and projects, discuss important city matters, and hear about what's happening across the Mile High City.

Starting now.

I mean, I feel that deeply.

I had chocolate.

I took that.

Good morning, everybody.

Welcome to Mayor Council.

Thank you so much for being here.

Um, just over a little.

You're going to be like, jump in because we have a full agenda.

Both uh general session, exec session, and closed session today.

So we have a whole series of items to run through.

And so we will jump in with introductions and do some announcements, and we will uh get to our program from Denver Human Services.

Delight to have them here.

Introductions.

Distinguished gentlemen on my right, you want to start us off?

Distinguished gentlemen.

Paul Cashman, South Denver, District Six.

Lucky District Seven.

Sawyer, District Five.

Good morning, Serena Gonzalez Cutierrez, as one of your council members at large.

Good morning, Darrell Watson, fine, District nine.

Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District Four.

Give me Torres, West Denver District 3.

Morning Amanda Sanovo, North West Denver District 1.

Let's open with announcements?

Announcements, anyone else they want to share for fellow members or for the listening public, Councilman Sawyer.

Thanks.

Just want to remind everyone if you're a district five resident, please take our annual survey.

We're coming up on the end of it here, closes December 31st.

So you can go to our social media website and link to the survey there, DenverGov.org slash district five.

We actually use this information to shape our work plan for the following year in the District 5 office.

So please take our survey by December 31st.

Thank you.

Councilman Watson, and I have President for Tim.

Yes, I forgot to say this last night.

We had such a long evening that the Park Hill Pirates went to the Nationals this weekend.

I don't know the outcomes because I didn't look it up, but thank you.

Congratulations to Herman White and all of the Park Hill Pirates.

You all have been an institution in Park Hill on the East Side, and you are demonstrating Park Hill grit.

In Florida, I believe that's where you're at.

I'll check the scores, and by next Monday, I will share if we won the Nationals.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Mayor.

Okay, a few things.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come to the senior luncheon that we had last Friday.

It was wonderful, always a joyous event for everyone, over at the Wilshaw golf course, which we will also be celebrating a hundred years in 2026.

Kind of thinking like we need to highlight those who are 100 who also come.

We did have a few.

And we have uh donuts with a Grinch um at Eisenhower Rec Center between 9 30 and 11 on this Saturday.

If you are interested, uh go to either our website for the link or you can go straight uh to the website for Eisenhower and sign up for your time slot.

And then Ross University Hills Library will be closed um December 20th for renovations.

Uh the schedule for the bookmobile and all of the uh activities will be posted and available on December 15th.

Um so do sign up for my newsletter or um go to the website and we will have um additional information for all of the um library happenings and then finally today is Colorado Gives Day.

So if you haven't made your donation, you have all day to do that and go online to uh support your favorite nonprofit organization or two or three.

Um I think everyone really needs it this year, as they do every year.

But um, do sign up for Colorado Gives Day.

Um it's your opportunity to give.

Thank you.

What time?

Councilman of Vitres.

Thank you for ringing up Colorado Gives Day.

Definitely check out Colorado Gives Day.

Um, but I also wanted to share that CityCast Denver is hosting the Denver is Denver Awards, and District 7 is all over the list.

Uh I'm very happy about it.

Uh we have our own Caitlin Braun and Blake David, who are nominated for the community leadership they led on South Broadway, particularly around the XL Energy power outages.

We're also listed in two spots for best neighborhoods, so I cannot tell you which to vote for, but either South Broadway or Athmar Park neighborhood.

And then we also have an artist, a local artist on the list, Amy from Chaos Bloom Theater on South Broadway.

We also love to shout out district three neighbor Tron Gifts with Mimi, who was nominated for um best store or small business, and for best bar and restaurant in district one, we have convivial, but the um one of the co-owners lives in our park.

So I get to um share these successes with my colleagues.

But I was really surprised and honored to see that District seven was all over this list.

Thank you.

Councilman Cashman.

Uh, yes, uh, in light of the fact that uh a few uh of our local libraries are being closed for renovations, um, uh, including Field as well as uh University Hills, uh, the Virginia Village Library in D6 is now open seven days a week.

Welcome to you to come and get your literary needs fulfilled, any other announcements.

Okay, great.

Um, we'll close that, we'll head into uh general session here in a minute for DHS before I call them up.

Uh do just want to uh name one um issue that I'll hope to work with you all on over the last week, specifically watching last night's council actions on the labor measure.

Um, as you probably know, I supported this measure for collective bargaining.

Think there was a good path for us to be able to get to a workable solution for the city.

Partners were clear we did this, it wasn't going to be with an attempt to make it more difficult to administer the executive branch of the city.

Um, and so uh I think had good progress in that for a long time.

Some really significant changes made after committee and before we got to the floor.

I know that was a topic of discussion last night, and so there are a couple of areas where uh we have significant questions and concerns.

One will be the addition of pecuniary and financial and punitive damages against the city.

That would be a completely new grounds for us to be on.

We don't have any other precedent for where that exists, so that would be significant financial risk to the city.

We wouldn't want to take uh we have an existing path by which the um career services and human resources could oversee this process.

Don't see a reason for that to be moved to a different uh agency.

Uh, and obviously I think they're a real risk to the prospect of unilaterally being able to exit bargaining in the middle of a bargaining term uh without mutual agreement.

As you know, we have number of bargaining contracts to manage now.

We'll have more in the future.

If we added the prospect of renegotiating midterm uh with any number of those entities could be significantly new costs and uh challenge for the city, and so those are things we would all look forward to working with you all on over the next week to try to get to a helpful resolution that will be strong for both uh the city and for our partners.

And so uh just wanted to name that uh as we head into the week ahead.

I know there's lots of work to do.

Um we have limited time because I do want to jump into that, but if you want to jump in, madam uh Torres, let's jump in.

Thank you so much.

Um I look forward to connecting with you and your team on on those concerns, and we've um heard them over the last several weeks as well.

Um I will say that OHR handling all of these um uh limits the scope because an employee then would not have a path against a union if the union were retaliating or intimidating, or comp uh uh being accused of a ULP.

Um so that was one factor.

Um and um the other one of the things that I keep in mind as a former city employee, 18 years in a department, is if my job duties were changed so significantly as we've seen city employees' jobs change so significantly multiple times over the last six years, um uh I might want to bargain again or open up a particular item and we would arrive at in the agreement how that's done, why that's done, and when that's done.

So um just want to um share that piece since you were able to share yours.

Thank you.

Uh happy to return to that, and I think that is a case where if someone wanted independent action against a labor entity, you could certainly have an outside partner like in order to do that.

If you have an action against the corporation, that is what human services and HR I think has the capacity to adjudicate.

So you could have both if you needed an outside effort for an employee effort.

We think there is a remedy, but happy to return to that kind of position.

Um, so lots on the agenda.

Uh, happy to jump into our Denver human services team.

So if you want to come on up to the table, love to hear if you would briefly.

Good morning, good morning, uh Mayor and City Council member.

Thank you for having us this morning.

Um, my name is Celia Leal and I get to be the supervisor for the GIF Center.

And my name is Eileen Alrado, I oversee the Give Donation program, and yeah, thank you so much for having us back.

Today we'll be talking about uh the GIB program uh with Denver Human Services.

Great.

We wanted to start a little bit of our why.

Um the GIF program plays a crucial role in Denver Safety Net, providing a compassion response and emergency relief to those facing a hardship.

Today the program is composed of two teams, the Give donations and the Gift center, who both work together to address the need presented by our customers.

And how we do that.

So the give donations team specifically works with our giving community to be able to fill in the gaps presented by clients that are served by Denver Human Services.

And so this is done through year-round donation intake, that is, we establish the needs based off of what the gift center is seeing.

We also do three big drives: the hygiene drive, which supports the gift center operations, school supply drive, and then the holiday gift drive.

We also run the care portal platform for our child welfare and child support department so that they can submit requests on behalf of families looking for you know any sort of item around the house.

And then lastly, we do ad hoc drives too.

We try to keep a pulse on whatever is going on within the state to kind of address any needs that present themselves.

So as far for the gift center, we're able to provide emergency goods and services to our Denver County residents every 60 days.

This would include any active pending or ineligible benefit applicants.

Through the gift center, we're able to provide food boxes, hygiene diapers for all ages, clothing.

In addition, we're able to support with resource navigation, which we're able to connect our customers with community partners for additional services that they're needing.

One of the last things that we're able to provide is uh through our virtual hub support.

This is for both internal and external.

So this means any uh caseworkers or community partners who have a customer who has an emergent need and is either homebound or has limitation to transportation, they're able to submit a request, we'll fill the order, and they're able to pick those items to deliver to their customers.

Um, lastly, I do want to point out um that we have been still able to continue to support with the Give on the Go services through our neighborhood resource sites.

Um, this program was intended to fill in the gap to support our community need, which I'll explain in a little bit of what we've been able to do.

Great.

So this is just highlighting a couple of things that we have had going on in the last couple of months as well as currently.

So, as we all know, ABT benefits were delayed in the month of November, and we saw a very big increase in food insecurity within our community.

So we responded by doing an internal food drive and again completely internal.

Our goal was to do collect a thousand items, and not only did we meet that, but we didn't double that.

Um we doubled that.

And this was all done internally, and it just goes to show the absolute heart that so many Denver Human Services workers have to go above and beyond in their support of clients in need.

And then currently we're right in the middle of our holiday gift drive with Denver Human Services.

Um, again, it's a service that's provided to internal client-facing uh workers and further clients, but we also partner with the Denver Santa Claus shop to be able to address some of those needs that are presented by people who might not have caseworkers with Denver Human Services.

Um, and so all the different ways to participate include volunteering, getting items off of our Amazon wish list and doing monetary donations, which allows us to do the shopping for people.

So throughout uh 2025, we were able to provide different services and essential items to our community.

Um, so as you can see, we were able to provide over 18 pounds of food and over um 18,600 snack items.

Um we are were able to also distribute 37,000 hygiene items, which you know we were able to support with health and dignity in providing these items through our center.

Um, we were able to provide 80 8,000 um the clothing items, including uh winter coats, uh winter clothing items, socks, and undergarments, and 469 snack bags uh through our Give on the Go services.

So, Give on the Go was created again to fill in the gaps where people need a quick, meaningful support.

Along with snack bags, we were able to hand out hygiene kits for both adults and children, menstrual products, and even cover a vital document fee waivers.

This would be um a Colorado identification card and/or a Colorado uh birth andor death certificate fee waiver.

Great, and so we are the give donations is a pretty small team, it's just me and one other full-time employee.

So we are completely able to do the work that we do because of our amazing community donors, volunteers who share their time with us.

Um, and so through that, we're able to sort of fill in the gaps for some of the most vulnerable residents here in Denver.

I wanted to share a testimonial by Alex, who was who is a give customer, but uh he shared that being able to have hygiene really helped them feel competent as he applied for jobs, and I think it's something that we can kind of take for granted, hygiene items, being able to take a shower, all of these things, but to some of our customers, it really needs the world to be able to, you know, take the next step in their in their journey and whatever that looks like.

Um then lastly, I have a little video encompassing what the school supply drive looked like.

This was the last drive that we did during the summer, and it showcased not just volunteers but caseworkers, and I wanted to give you guys a little bit of an insight of what that looks like.

It won't play, just kidding.

Well, imagine that it was amazing and heartfelt, and it was just great to see you know so many kiddos' faces line up with these sparkly um you know, character backpacks, and again, it's something that a lot of us can take for granted really easily, but to a little kid, I was it just meant the world to be able to be prepared for school alongside their classmates.

Um, but yeah, I think that's all we have.

Now we're gonna question it.

Feel free to play at any moment.

You can really suggest they act it out, but I'm not gonna act that would be fantastic.

Uh, any questions for our team on this?

Um, that he works for magic.

I'm gonna see if I can.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, thank you all so much.

Um, wondering in uh some of the resources that you might have available.

Do you have things like um uh wheelchairs or kind of mobility uh devices?

Or do you have access to those things?

Um we have resources that you provide through the gift center.

We do get sometimes donations of certain items.

Um, unfortunately, it can be very hard to tell what's items are safe for people and what aren't.

So it's not something that we actively advertise, but we have community resources that we can get people connected with to get them either at a low price or just borrow.

Thank you all so much for what you're doing.

Other questions.

Oh, here we go.

You can imagine the music.

Yeah, just imagine a really upbeat.

How many packs did you give away?

I think it was close to 1,500 this year, just through amazing.

Um, or try and turn the volume button.

This will be posted on the website.

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you so much for me.

I appreciate it.

I think we got a couple other questions.

Councilman, do you have a question?

No, um, not really question.

Well, kind of actually a question.

So has it has um the gift center always operated off of just two staff members?

That's still been the case.

Give donations uh team and no, before it used to be just one team member.

Um, a lot of advocacy happened in the background, and I was able to get, you know, a little team member, and it's been life changing, truly.

A lot of folks are are that are there, like are volunteering their time to help with sorting and doing those kinds of things.

Yeah, it's two full-time staff, and the rest of us are the rest of them are volunteers.

It's yeah, it's so hard.

It's such a heartwarming sort of initiative.

That's great.

Um, the last question have you seen an uptick in folks like needing additional resources?

Um, you know, over the last six months or so.

Have you seen like an increase?

I'll let you answer that question since you're client, please.

I would say yes.

Um, some of the huge needs that we're currently facing are, you know, food insecurity.

So a lot of our customers who are needing food items, um, are able to come to us.

Again, um, we're able to really fill in the gap.

So any customer who is experienced experiencing any an emergent need um and has a pending um ineligible or is in the process to snap benefits, they're able to come and we're able to fill in that gap.

Um, I would say, you know, the diapers for all ages is also very much needed, and um, we have a very special partnership, but being able to provide the vital documents for both a Colorado ID and um death certificate and or birth certificate really go a long way.

Um, we do get a lot of customers who really want to, you know, start their journey, find employment, but some of these basic necessities are really um, you know, they don't have access to.

So being able to provide that to get them started has has really been an impact.

Thank you for everything that you're doing.

I remember when um the Gives Center first, you know, became the thing that it is, and I'm really happy to see how much it's grown.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Uh, thank you.

Uh just a real quick comment.

I've spent my you know, already my career in the nonprofit field doing a lot of different drives and and um backpack drives, and I know it's a tremendous amount of work, so congratulations to you for being being able to do it so effectively.

Um, uh, if you have any thing that you can send to us to put into our newsletters, um I did see the one slide for how to give, so if you have ways that people can contribute, I'm sure if they're watching now or just that we can share with our communities to make sure that you get more donations.

Please do.

And are you still accepting donations right now?

Absolutely.

Yes, we are absolutely accepting donations.

Um, a lot of general donations now of toys, specifically and gifts, just so that we're able to provide, you know, holiday chair to people who maybe weren't able to nominate um to caseworkers who weren't able to nominate their their families and kiddos.

So, yes, we are gladly taking donations.

Okay.

Any other questions?

Thank you all so much for your amazing work.

Great to see you and thanks for being here.

Uh, I will now undertain a motion to move us into an executive session pursuant to uh pursuant to the RMZ 234A three four six and seven for the purpose of receiving legal advice, discussing the potential settlement of pending litigation against the city and discussion of the acquisition sale or use of real estate by the city.

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Great.

We will enter executive session.

Thank you so much, members of the public for joining and for members from Department of Human Services.

Great to see you all.

When you're ready, find neutral tabletop position, flat back.

We're gonna take a deep breath in, drop the belly, look to the sky, cow pose.

Exhale, chin to chest, back is rounded.

Cut.

You can look at your belly button.

Deep breath in, drop your belly, look to the sky, cow pose.

Exhale, chin to chest, back is rounded.

Cut.

We're gonna do this two more times at our own pace.

Cat how our inverse of each other.

Make sure you're feeling the two extremes at the top and at the bottom.

When you're feeling it, find a neutral flat back.

Go ahead and tuck those toes, hips go up and back downward facing dog.

We're finally getting to do some down dog with some down dogs.

Feel free to pedal your feet, walk your dog, push into your palms, stretch out your shoulders and upper back.

When you're ready, we're gonna walk our toes to meet our fingertips, finding a forward fold, head, neck, shoulders, relax down.

Feel free to grab each elbow, let everything swing.

You could interlock your hands behind your back, stretch out your shoulders.

You could grab each ankle, pull yourself deeper.

However, you're feeling when you're ready, we're gonna roll up slowly but surely.

Bring both hands over high.

Go ahead and bring those hands together, small bend in the upper back.

We're gonna lean to our right side, hinging up the natural waist.

Slowly maturely on to the other side.

Deep breath in, both hands overhead.

We're gonna cactus those arms back till your chest towards the sun, dive over your cactus.

Full fold, head neck, shoulders relax down.

There's at least a micro bend in your knees.

Inhale, half lift flat back.

Exhale, full fold, go ahead and plant those hands.

Walk or tiptoe back, plate position.

Watch out for the pups.

We're gonna lower those hips down to the floor.

Tops of your feet, find the mat, thighs, not roll those shoulders down your spine.

When you're ready, tuck those toes, hips, go up and back, downward facing dog.

If you're feeling a challenge, we're gonna take our right hand, reach for the outside of our left ankle, twisty dog.

Go ahead and return that right hand back to the top of your mat.

Reach with your left hand to the outside of your right ankle or leg.

Go ahead and return that limb back to the top of your mat.

We're in regular down dog.

We're gonna bring our toes to touch.

Let your knees fall on the mat wide.

Child's pose, sit back on those heels, lock your fingertips to the top of the mat.

Everything else is relaxed.

We're gonna take three deep breaths here.

Feel free to sink into the floor with each exhale.

Feel free to call a puppy.

When you're ready, we're gonna plant our foreheads on the floor.

You're gonna walk your hands down to your toes.

Grab your ankles or your feet.

Just a new form of child's pose.

If you want to try a little bit of a challenge, go ahead and interlock those hands behind your back.

Bring your hands over your head.

Like some bunny ears.

We're in rabbit pose.

When you're ready, release those hands down next to your ankles.

Go ahead and walk your left hand all the way to the top of your mat.

Try to let each fingertip touch the ground five times before you get all the way up there.

Maybe a puppy will follow your fingers.

Go ahead and plant that hand at the top.

Start now with your right hand.

Slowly but surely walk your way to the top.

When you're ready, we're gonna find our way to a belly down position.

Hands underneath shoulders.

Go ahead and push up cobra.

Elbows into ribs.

Oh, our forearms find the floor.

Feel free to pit or pat or call a puppy.