Golden City Council Meeting on Racist Incident and Creek Management - July 28, 2026
Golden City Council Meeting on Racist Incident and Creek Management - July 28, 2026
The Golden City Council held a regular business meeting on July 28, 2026, from 6:30 PM to 8:04 PM. The agenda was amended to include a public statement and council comments on a racist incident in the Golden Fire Department. The meeting also featured extensive public testimony and a mid-season update on Clear Creek management, along with unanimous approval of consent items.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of July 14, 2026 – Approved unanimously.
- Resolution No. 3329 – Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with RTD for the Golden On-Demand Transit Grant – Adopted unanimously.
- Resolution No. 3337 – Adopting the Noxious Weed Management Plan – Adopted unanimously.
- Resolution No. 3338 – Approving an agreement with Minntex Technologies LLC for Fiber Connection at City Shops – Adopted unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Beth Bidwell (9th St.) – Stated that effective creek management has not been achieved in 17 years. Described July 4th incidents: a propane grill used under a dry tree during fire restrictions, a car blocking a fire hydrant, and a lack of timely enforcement. Called for more realistic assessment and immediate attention.
- JJ Trout (S. Golden, former councilor) – Expressed shock and concern over the racist incident in the Fire Department, calling it unacceptable and harmful to public trust. Urged a thorough, transparent, and accountable response, and encouraged participation in the REDI Task Force.
- Dr. Holly Olivares (S. Golden, REDI member) – Noted that Golden has only 220 Black or African American residents out of 20,000, calling this quantitative evidence of a problem. Shared statements from other REDI members condemning the incident and demanding action. Encouraged council to engage with REDI.
- Andrea Philleo (12th St.) – Argued that the creek is being destroyed by abuse. Proposed no food or drink near the water, stationed police or park rangers for enforcement, and consistent ticketing. Stated that rules are worthless without accountability.
- Julie Favre (12th St.) – Described creek management as deplorable and non-existent. Felt that nothing has changed despite past promises. Called for drastic change, including making and enforcing rules.
- Emailed comments – Acknowledged by the Mayor; focused on creek topics.
Discussion Items
- Racist Incident in Golden Fire Department – Mayor Weinberg read an open letter to the community detailing a March 2026 incident where a Snoop on a Stoop doll was found hanging by a noose in a fire station stairwell. The employee responsible is no longer employed; an independent third-party investigation will be conducted. Council members (Kurzinski, Vitry, Evans, Knecht, Cameron) expressed horror, sorrow, and commitment to rebuilding trust, acknowledging the failure of city values and the need for accountability and transparency.
- Creek Update (Carly Lorentz, Deputy City Manager) – Presented mid-season data: water levels are at September lows; tubing numbers similar to last year but with a longer season; pedestrian counts relatively stable; trash pickups increased 60%. Enforcement citations are on track to exceed last year but still insufficient. New behaviors include more people lounging on banks rather than tubing, leading to more trash and ecological damage.
- Chief Michele Wagner – Acknowledged inconsistency in enforcement, breakdown in communication, and the need for stricter, clearer enforcement. Committed to immediate improvements.
- Council Discussion – Councilors Evans and Knecht reported witnessing numerous violations. Evans called the update the worst ever and supported no food/drink on creek banks, better signage, and stricter enforcement. Cameron suggested closing gates all days, adding shade structures in Lions Park, and increasing fines. Mayor Weinberg supported gate closures and shade structures. Vitry urged caution on a blanket food/drink ban but supported more discussion. Pfau asked about code enforcement staffing (3 seasonals and 2 full-time CSOs on weekends) and suggested enhancing code and fines. Kurzinski supported the ideas. Council also discussed voluntary fishing closures due to heat, the Steamboat Springs model, and potential funding mechanisms like a voluntary checkout fee.
Key Outcomes
- Consent items approved unanimously (all resolutions and minutes).
- Creek enforcement: Chief Wagner will implement changes immediately (by the coming weekend). Gates will be closed on weekends. Additional trash pickup and ambassador shifts added. Staff will explore higher fines and bring code enhancements to council.
- Budget: Staff will consider adding year-round code enforcement officers as part of the upcoming budget process.
- Fire Department incident: Independent third-party investigation will proceed. Council committed to ongoing engagement with REDI Task Force and listening sessions.
- Next steps: Full season creek recap in October; community meeting in January; proposed changes to council in March 2027.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. Um, welcome. We are going to get started. It is 6:30. Uh, we have our regular City Council Business Meeting for July 28th, 2026, and we'll start by standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation underground individual with liberty and justice are all. Next up will uh have the roll call. Council Connect. Uh present counselor Cameron. Here. Councilor Evans? Here. Mayor Weinberg here. Mayor Pretended Rick? Here. Counselor Bell. Here. Councilor Krasinski? Here. Mayor, you have a quorum. Thank you. Um, next we have uh approval of the agenda, and we have a motion regarding the agenda. Madam Mayor, I'd like to amend the agenda to add an item called comment to the public. Ummediating uh approval of the agenda. Um can I clarify a motion to amend and approve? Thank you. I would like to add uh an item comment to the public to amend the agenda and approve the agenda with this motion. Thank you. So second. Second. Thank you. So the motion to amend includes a new item immediately following agenda approval. Um, all those in favor of the motion to amend and approve, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. The agenda is approved as um amended. Um the new item uh has been inserted uh directly um after this approval. And I want to take a moment. Um acknowledge uh and share for those of you in the public here at home who have not heard yet um that there was a horrible uh racist incident that happened in the golden fire department. The city has uh just shared the information in a public statement. I've been provided a copy of it here, and I will be reading it now so you all can hear it, and it's in our public record. So data July 28th, 2026, an open letter to the community acknowledging a racist incident in the golden fire department. Dear Golden Community, in March 2026, a deeply disturbing and racist act occurred within the golden fire department. A snoop on a stoop doll in the likeness of snoop dog, which had been moved around inside a fire station during the holiday season, was found hanging by its neck from a rope in a fire station stairwell. The doll should never have been brought into any city facility, and the display evoked a horrific history of racial terror and violence. We are grateful to the employees who spoke up. Their voices prompted us to reflect on our response and acknowledge that we fell far short in our responsibility to city staff and our community. As a result of those conversations and further review, the employee responsible for the act is no longer employed by the City of Golden Fire Department.
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