OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mayor and Denver City Council Joint Meeting - March 17, 2026

Mayor-Council Meeting — Tuesday, March 17, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionMayor-Council Meeting
DateTuesday, March 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 23:36

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

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

0:06

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.

0:17

Join the discussion with your elected officials starting now.

0:54

Um, yes, I'll refrain for many higher number this morning.

1:00

We'll just jump into uh we're gonna announce Councilman Cash going on here.

1:19

Good morning, Sidana Gonzalez Petites, one of your council members at large.

1:22

Uh good morning, Darren Watson.

1:24

Fine, District 9.

1:25

Good morning.

1:26

Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District 4.

1:29

Uh Kevin Flynn, Southwest Denver's District 2.

1:33

Good morning, Namani Sanimo, Northwest Denver District 1.

1:36

Uh great.

1:37

Thank you all so much for being here.

1:38

I'd love to open it up with any announcements people have that they want to share for fellow members or the listening public at home.

1:45

Uh the announcement lines are now open.

1:49

Yes, Madam President Pro Tem.

1:51

Uh, thank you.

1:52

I have two announcements.

1:54

Um, one of them is about our community open house that we are hosting on Wednesday at Thomas Jefferson High School.

2:03

Doors open at 5, and it goes until 7, I believe.

2:08

Um we have a whole bunch of city agencies that are there to answer specific questions around District 4.

2:15

Um Dottie will be there, Parks and Rec will be there.

2:18

Um Department of Uh Economic Development will be there, Dito.

2:23

Denver Water, Denver Public Library.

2:25

There's a lot of questions about the libraries in Southeast Denver right now.

2:29

Um, Welshire 100 and many more of our community partners will be there.

2:34

Um we'll have some snacks and pizza and hope that people can join us.

2:39

Um is the Welshire 100.

2:42

Uh, the Welshire Golf Course is celebrating um 100 years this year, and we're having a big community celebration and golf tournament on June 5th.

2:52

Uh registration will open on April 1st.

2:56

So go online to Denver Golf if you'd like to participate in the golf tournament.

3:01

Um, for some of my colleagues that also play golf, you will be getting an email from me if you'd like to play in the tournament as well.

3:08

Thank you, Dr.

3:09

President for Tim.

3:10

Other announcements.

3:12

Yes, Councilman Watson.

3:13

Uh thank you.

3:14

Um, Mr.

3:15

Mayor, I just wanted to share this morning um that uh Don Moskowitz and the community solutions team are convening today here in um on uh Sydney County building.

3:26

Community solutions is a program, a process, and initiative that helps to uh lead to solutions for reducing and ending um the instance of homelessness um in Denver and other municipalities across the country.

3:39

They chose Denver today to meet with the all-in-mile high team to identify with all of the uh community um leaders within um the uh that's leading towards solutions on unhoused um residents here in Denver to bring them together to look for additional solutions going forward to look at ways that we can reduce not just veterans um homelessness but homelessness for everyone else.

4:00

So I wanted to thank the team for community solutions for choosing Denver.

4:04

Um thank the administration for hosting uh the event this morning and looking forward to some of the outcomes from the meetings that are having throughout the day, and I think possibly throughout uh the rest of the week.

4:14

Thank you, sir.

4:16

Yes, a great chance for Denver to be proud of progress.

4:18

Thank they in part focused on Denver because of the success the city has had, and so thanks for all your leadership to make that happen.

4:24

Councilman Cashman.

4:26

Another reason for the city of Denver to be proud, the mighty mighty university men's hockey team defeated Western Michigan.

4:38

Two to one in overtime this past weekend in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

4:45

Uh semifinals they'll play Minnesota Duluth uh this coming Saturday in the finals.

4:52

Then on Sunday, um the uh NCAA will uh announce the entrance in this year's uh national championship.

5:03

So PyO's uh ranked sixth in the nation right now.

5:07

So uh go pioneers, keep it up.

5:10

Is it only four that make it to the frozen four, or is there a tournament of eight or sixteen?

5:14

Yeah, okay, gotcha.

5:16

We will look forward to our next national championship run.

5:20

Any other announcements?

5:21

Councilman Sawyer.

5:22

Thanks, Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Procedural███████████████████████27%
Announcements██████████11%
Contracts And Procurement█████████10%
Summary of Proceedings

Mayor and Denver City Council Joint Meeting - March 17, 2026

On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 4:30 PM UTC, the Mayor and Denver City Council held a joint meeting to receive updates on city operations and discuss federal obligations affecting Denver International Airport. The meeting included announcements from council members, a presentation on airport law and grant assurances, and concluded with a motion to enter executive session for contract negotiations.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were heard during this meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Council Member Announcements: Several council members shared updates on community events and recognitions:
    • Council Member Diana Romero Campbell (District 4) announced a community open house on Wednesday at Thomas Jefferson High School from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with city agencies including Dotti, Parks and Rec, Economic Development, and Denver Water. She also noted the Welshire 100 celebration, marking the centennial of the Welshire Golf Course, with a tournament on June 5th and registration opening April 1st.
    • Council Member Darrell Watson (District 9) reported that Community Solutions, a national program focused on reducing homelessness, is meeting with the All-In Mile High team today at the Sydney County building to identify additional solutions for ending homelessness, including for veterans and all residents.
    • Council Member Kevin Flynn (District 2) congratulated the University of Denver men's hockey team for defeating Western Michigan 2-1 in overtime in the NCHC semifinals, noting they will play Minnesota Duluth on Saturday and anticipate NCAA tournament selection.
    • Council Member Amanda Sawyer (District 5) recognized George Washington High School for winning the state speech and debate tournament, with over 200 students in the program and a national ranking of 4th.
    • Council Member Paul Kashmann thanked TSA workers at Denver International Airport for working without pay, acknowledging the sacrifices of those still reporting during the government shutdown. The Mayor thanked airport staff for supporting TSA workers through food, gift cards, and other resources.
  • Airport Operations Presentation: David from Denver International Airport delivered a presentation on federal obligations impacting the airport, covering four key legal concepts: federal preemption, proprietary rights, grant assurances, and revenue diversion. He emphasized that grant assurances are contractual obligations attached to all FAA grants, valid for 20 years per grant, with the clock restarting each time a new grant is accepted. He outlined 10 critical grant assurances, including:
    • Grant Assurance 1 (compliance with federal statutes like ADA and environmental laws)
    • Grant Assurance 5 (preserving airport sponsor rights)
    • Grant Assurance 19 (operational maintenance of the airport)
    • Grant Assurance 22 (economic non-discrimination, including comparable rules and fees for carriers)
    • Grant Assurance 21 (FAA involvement in sponsor actions)
    • Grant Assurance 23 (prohibition on exclusive rights for aeronautical users)
    • Grant Assurance 24 (reasonable fee and rental structure for self-sustainability)
    • Grant Assurance 29 (airport layout plan maintenance)
    • Grant Assurance 27 (use of government aircraft, with a recent FAA interpretation change in February 2026)
    • Grant Assurance 39 (competitive access requirements for medium and large hubs) He noted that enforcement occurs through informal (14 CFR Part 13) or formal (Part 16) FAA processes, not direct court action.
  • Airline Use and Lease Agreements: David discussed the distinction between signatory carriers (with commitments like minimum flights and leased space) and non-signatory carriers. There are four carriers with long-term leases (all expiring in 2035) and 18 carriers with leases expiring at the end of 2026. Key elements include exclusive use clauses for non-aeronautical purposes (e.g., airline clubs), preferential use gates with utilization requirements, common use facilities, baggage system access, and city rights to relocate carriers for operational efficiency. Rate-setting for fees and charges occurs through Exhibit F, which can be amended via a majority interest vote by airlines.

Key Outcomes

  • The council voted unanimously to move into executive session (pursuant to DRMC 2-4A, sections 3, 6, and 7) for legal advice on contract negotiations. No other formal votes or decisions were made during the public portion of the meeting.
  • Council members expressed support for community events, athletic and academic achievements, and airport staff during the government shutdown.

Meeting Transcript

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. Join the discussion with your elected officials starting now. Um, yes, I'll refrain for many higher number this morning. We'll just jump into uh we're gonna announce Councilman Cash going on here. Good morning, Sidana Gonzalez Petites, one of your council members at large. Uh good morning, Darren Watson. Fine, District 9. Good morning. Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District 4. Uh Kevin Flynn, Southwest Denver's District 2. Good morning, Namani Sanimo, Northwest Denver District 1. Uh great. Thank you all so much for being here. I'd love to open it up with any announcements people have that they want to share for fellow members or the listening public at home. Uh the announcement lines are now open. Yes, Madam President Pro Tem. Uh, thank you. I have two announcements. Um, one of them is about our community open house that we are hosting on Wednesday at Thomas Jefferson High School. Doors open at 5, and it goes until 7, I believe. Um we have a whole bunch of city agencies that are there to answer specific questions around District 4. Um Dottie will be there, Parks and Rec will be there. Um Department of Uh Economic Development will be there, Dito. Denver Water, Denver Public Library. There's a lot of questions about the libraries in Southeast Denver right now. Um, Welshire 100 and many more of our community partners will be there. Um we'll have some snacks and pizza and hope that people can join us. Um is the Welshire 100. Uh, the Welshire Golf Course is celebrating um 100 years this year, and we're having a big community celebration and golf tournament on June 5th. Uh registration will open on April 1st. So go online to Denver Golf if you'd like to participate in the golf tournament. Um, for some of my colleagues that also play golf, you will be getting an email from me if you'd like to play in the tournament as well. Thank you, Dr. President for Tim. Other announcements. Yes, Councilman Watson. Uh thank you. Um, Mr. Mayor, I just wanted to share this morning um that uh Don Moskowitz and the community solutions team are convening today here in um on uh Sydney County building. Community solutions is a program, a process, and initiative that helps to uh lead to solutions for reducing and ending um the instance of homelessness um in Denver and other municipalities across the country. They chose Denver today to meet with the all-in-mile high team to identify with all of the uh community um leaders within um the uh that's leading towards solutions on unhoused um residents here in Denver to bring them together to look for additional solutions going forward to look at ways that we can reduce not just veterans um homelessness but homelessness for everyone else. So I wanted to thank the team for community solutions for choosing Denver. Um thank the administration for hosting uh the event this morning and looking forward to some of the outcomes from the meetings that are having throughout the day, and I think possibly throughout uh the rest of the week. Thank you, sir. Yes, a great chance for Denver to be proud of progress. Thank they in part focused on Denver because of the success the city has had, and so thanks for all your leadership to make that happen. Councilman Cashman. Another reason for the city of Denver to be proud, the mighty mighty university men's hockey team defeated Western Michigan. Two to one in overtime this past weekend in the semifinals of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

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