Greeley City Council Regular Meeting - June 16, 2026

The Greeley City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at 1001 11th Avenue, with hybrid participation via Zoom. Mayor Dale Hall presided, with six council members present (Johnny Olson excused). The meeting included citizen input on multiple contentious topics, approval of a consent agenda, a preliminary budget reduction proposal from the City Attorney's Office, and appointments to boards and commissions.

Consent Calendar

• Item 9: Motion to approve the City Council Work Session Proceedings of May 26, 2026; the May 19, 2026 meeting proceedings were deferred for staff revision following public comments about incomplete recordings.
• Items 10–18: Routine resolutions and ordinances, including consulting contracts for Martin and Wood Water Consultants, design services for the MERGE project, cost-sharing IGA for US 34 & WCR 17 interchange improvements, airport improvement cost-sharing amendment, intent to issue tax-exempt multifamily housing revenue bonds for the Prairie Rose Rehab, Hope Springs, and Island Grove Village Apartments projects, intent to issue revenue bonds for low-/middle-income housing, and introduction of an ordinance ratifying the collective bargaining agreement with the Greeley Fire Fighters Union Local 888 (2027–2028).
• Vote: Councilmember Rudy moved to approve the consent agenda as amended (deferring May 19 minutes), seconded by Mayor Pro Tem McDonald. Passed 6–0 with Olson absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

Eleven residents spoke during citizen input, each allotted up to three minutes:

• Edwin Grant expressed frustration over downtown Greeley development costs, high project expenditures, and a personal billing error from Medicare/Medicaid.
• Johann Lindberg criticized the Cascadia project for lacking transparency, stating that the council has broken the public's trust and hidden information from residents.
• Andrew Brown and Chris Lambeth (Greeley Police Officers Association and IAFF Local 888) announced the Fire vs. Police Demolition Derby on July 5th at the Greeley Stampede, with proceeds split between union benevolence funds.
• Tiffany Simmons requested that the May 19, 2026 meeting minutes be revised to accurately summarize her public hearing comments and those of a subsequent speaker, claiming staff editorialized the record as not relevant.
• Steve Teets discussed a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (which he said the city lost), criticized the Greeley-Evans Transit rebranding, and raised safety concerns about e-bikes and e-scooters on sidewalks.
• Chris Morowski (trustee, Greeley Firefighters Local 888) supported the ratified collective bargaining agreement, praising the collaborative interest-based process, and highlighted a market adjustment that restored battalion chiefs to the 50th percentile, correcting what he called an improper directive from former City Manager Raymond Lee.
• Bill Gillard questioned city budget priorities and high executive salaries (citing the combined salaries of five employees at $1.4 million), arguing that compensation should reflect the community's median income of $69,000 rather than competing with wealthier cities like Fort Collins.
• Rachel Burdan opposed the Cascadia project, claiming the council has already made up its mind, questioned the feasibility study, and warned of financial risks up to $900 million.
• Rhonda Solis clarified her opposition to the Cascadia project, referenced expert studies by Newmark and Professor J.C. Bradbury, and urged the council to partner with local institutions like UNC and Aims instead of building an arena/water park/hotel.
• Peggy Sue Squires requested that the Cascadia project be placed on a ballot for a public vote.
• Scott Royer recommended restricting irrigation to 6 PM–6 AM to conserve water given historically low moisture levels.

Reports from Mayor and Councilmembers

• Councilmember Huddleston highlighted the 8th anniversary celebration of 477 Distillery as a downtown small business success.
• Mayor Pro Tem McDonald announced the Fire vs. Police Demolition Derby and read a formal statement on behalf of the council expressing full confidence in the newly led Communications and Engagement Department, focusing on transparent, innovative communications; she also offered condolences to the University of Northern Colorado community.
• Councilmember Rudy recognized UNC alumnus Justin Gaethje for winning the UFC lightweight championship.
• Councilmember Roth recognized Police Chief Adam Turk for being sworn in as president of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Mayor Hall announced the appointment of Councilmember Huddleston as an alternate to the Downtown Development Authority (with Roth remaining voting member), appointment of Councilmember DeBoutez as co-chair of the Mayor's Task Force on the Homeless, completion of the 45-mile Poudre River Trail from Bellevue to Island Grove Park, and an invitation for council to tour the Regional Real Time Information Center (RTIC).

Discussion Items

City Attorney's Office 2027 Budget Reduction Proposal (Item 20) City Attorney Stacey Aurzada presented a proposal meeting a 17% reduction target through two personnel eliminations (an administrative assistant and an attorney via voluntary separation) and across-the-board operating cuts, including elimination of an AI-assisted legal research platform. She noted the departing attorney handled high-volume contract work, and workload will be redistributed, slowing turnaround. The office has no revenue generation capacity, employs four enterprise-fund attorneys for environmental/water work, and handles in-house tort litigation (making the city self-insured). Councilmember Huddleston asked about the AI platform, and Aurzada explained it operated as a closed system reducing legal research risks. Councilmember DeBoutez asked about historical staffing; Aurzada said the office was recently nearly fully staffed for the first time in years, and an assessment found that level appropriate for the growing city, but the reduction will drop below that level. Mayor Hall thanked Aurzada and noted this is a preliminary discussion; the city manager's recommended budget will be presented in July/August.

Initiative from Mayor and Councilmembers (Item 8) Mayor Hall requested council consensus to direct staff to prepare a resolution for the July 7 meeting articulating the city's intent to continue the Civic Campus project and issue Certificates of Participation (COPs) for financing. He also directed staff to deliver a draft development agreement to Richmark Vertical by the end of June for council review starting July 7. Council reached consensus to proceed.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved 6–0 as amended (May 19 minutes deferred for revision).
• Mayor's Civic Campus initiative received council consensus to bring a resolution to the July 7 meeting.
• City Attorney's Office budget reduction was presented as preliminary information; no vote taken.
• Appointments to boards and commissions were approved as recommended: Commission on Disabilities (Martha Kyler, Todd Page, 3-year terms); Construction Trades Advisory and Appeals Board (David Powell, 3-year); Downtown Development Authority (Matthew Estrin, Matthew Hortt, Brian Seifried, 4-year); Human Relations Commission (Lisa Bernal, 3-year); Museum Board (Shan Craven, 3-year); Water and Sewer Board (Cheri Witt-Brown, 5-year); Youth Commission (Levi Aldridge, Phynix Stull, 2-year).
• Motion authorizing the City Attorney to prepare resolutions, agreements, and ordinances reflecting council actions passed 6–0 by voice vote.
• Meeting schedule: The June 23 work session is cancelled due to the Colorado Municipal League Conference; no meeting on June 30 (fifth Tuesday); next regular meeting is July 7, 2026.