OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Pueblo City Council Regular Meeting - June 12, 2023

City Council — Monday, June 12, 2023
BodyPueblo, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 12, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:50:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:28

Today is Monday, June 12th.

0:30

The time is 7.10, and I call this meeting to order.

0:32

If we could have Pastor Micah Aragon from the Public Christian Center to give our invocation, and if everybody would stand and please stay standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:45

Lord, we just come to you humbly today, and we thank you for who you are.

0:50

And God, we thank you for this amazing city that we live in that we get to call home.

0:55

Father, we just ask, even now that you would bless us, bless this city as we continue to grow with peace and unity, Lord.

1:04

God, we just thank you for the leadership that are fearlessly leading this city, God.

1:09

We ask that you'd bless them in the name of Jesus.

1:12

You would strengthen them, give them peace, give them endurance, Lord.

1:16

Strengthen their families and give them wisdom as they lead, Lord.

1:20

God, we thank you for all the first responders that serve our city as well, or we ask that you would keep them safe, protect them in Jesus' name.

1:29

And God, we ask all of this, and we thank you in the mighty name of Jesus.

1:34

Amen.

1:54

Roll call.

1:55

Larry Tensio.

1:57

Here.

1:57

Dennis Flores.

1:58

Here.

1:58

Heather Graham.

1:59

Here.

1:59

Regina Meistry.

2:00

Here.

2:01

Sarah Martinez.

2:02

Here.

2:02

Vicente Martinez Ortega.

2:04

Here.

2:04

Lori Winter.

2:05

Okay.

2:06

And first up on public forum tonight, we have Michelle Gray.

2:33

Yes.

2:40

And then it says on, or do I turn it on?

2:43

Okay.

2:43

And so thank you for hearing me.

2:46

Um, City Council, I oh gosh, this stuff makes me nervous.

2:49

I can stand in front of a classroom and do math all day long, but talking to adults is a different story.

2:55

So I have it scripted.

2:57

So I just uh want to point you have a couple of articles uh there.

3:01

So HB 231202, the overdose prevention center authorization bill died in a bipartisan vote on April 26, 2023.

3:11

Our senators understand the implementation of drug injection sites and needle exchange programs as a problem, and I think that we need to see it as a problem too.

3:21

They did not want to give cities the authority to impose drug injection sites in neighborhoods.

3:27

They didn't want um to have them close to schools without restriction, and they stated that the bill does not uh help those that are actually suffering from addiction.

3:38

The minority leader, Mike Lynch.

3:41

Uh, you have a statement there.

3:42

He says safe injection sites would have misuse tax dollars to facilitate the use of illicit drugs and extended the nightmare for those struggling with drug addiction.

3:53

He went on to express his gratitude to the Senate for putting an end to this poorly thought-out bill before it created more Colorado opioid tragies.

4:02

I'm sorry, tragedies in our state.

4:32

And he saw that kit, and his statement was he made the discovery that the kit was produced by Access Point Pueblo, and it promotes tools and safety information for snorting illegal drugs and promoting that snorting was a safer mess up method for injecting drugs.

4:51

Um he also stated that this kit crossed the line between harm reduction and drug promotion at the expense of our children in our community.

5:00

And then he also stated that the Pueblo Board of County Commissioners are taking steps to ensure that any nonprofit promoting needle exchanges will not receive any county money.

5:12

He went on to say that Access Point Colorado receives money from the state, while Southern Colorado Harm Reduction, which were here I saw them present to you guys, has received county funding uh in the past, and I would ask that city council remove all funding to that program.

5:30

Many community members have stood before this body expressing concerns about used syringes in our parks, uh, and in other public places and now toilets, right?

5:40

Now we're having bathrooms removed because we've got injection, uh, we have stuff in the toilets.

5:46

Um, but you had the whole community of Pep Bessemer here, and you guys saw the importance of not having that investment as well.

5:56

And so um I did before I read my little thing, I did call um Access Point Colorado today, and I asked them.

6:05

I just I said, Do you have a needle exchange program?

6:08

And then she told me what her hours were, and I said, Do I need to have needles to bring to you?

6:13

So, no, no, no, you don't need any needles.

6:15

We'll give you needles if you don't bring needles in.

6:18

And she also told me all I had to do was initial my name, and if I needed to pick up needles for other people, I could do that too.

6:26

And so just bring a list of these initials and I can get as many as I want.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████16%
Government Structure██████████████14%
Youth Programs██████████████14%
Zoning And Land Use██████████████14%
Public Works███████████11%
Public Safety██████████10%
Public Health Awareness█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Drug Regulation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Pueblo City Council Regular Meeting - June 12, 2023

The Pueblo City Council met on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 7:10 PM in City Council Chambers. The meeting included public comments on drug policy and government reform, council commentary, and votes on numerous resolutions, ordinances, and emergency measures. Key actions included approval of funding for a teen center, demolition of an unsafe structure, and emergency trail repairs, while a charter amendment to change the form of government failed to advance.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved all resolutions (M1-M18) and first-presentation ordinances (N1-N15) without discussion, setting public hearings for June 26, 2023.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Michelle Gray opposed needle exchange programs and safe injection sites, citing the defeat of HB 23-1202 and urging the council to adopt an ordinance closing needle exchanges and defunding Southern Colorado Harm Reduction.
  • Elvis Martinez requested recognition for local businesses (Double J and Taffey's), proposed employee recognition enhancements (employee of the month with gift cards), and opposed N16 (charter amendment to council-manager government), suggesting ranked-choice voting instead.
  • Sam Hernandez opposed the charter amendment, stating the people have spoken and urging focus on police staffing, homelessness, and needle exchange issues.
  • Christy Fedora raised safety concerns about construction at Exit 104, supported Michelle Gray's position on needle exchanges, and suggested Councilman Martinez Ortega organize fundraising for the Pueblo Heritage Museum.
  • Ted Freeman discussed the pros and cons of strong mayor vs. council-manager government, noting the expense of national searches for a city manager.

Discussion Items

  • N16 – Charter Amendment to Change Form of Government: Council debate on placing a charter amendment on the November 2023 ballot to revert to council-manager government. Councilor Winter proposed the ordinance, citing earlier concerns from councilors. Councilor Tensio opposed, stating petitioners failed to gather sufficient signatures. Councilor Martinez noted the history of failed attempts. Councilor Meistry and Councilor Martinez Ortega opposed further consideration, citing lack of council appetite. The motion to advance to second reading failed 5-2.
  • R3 – ARPA Funding for Teen Center (The Loft): Council approved $153,178 in ARPA funds for the Boys & Girls Club to operate a teen center (The Loft) at El Centro on Friday and Saturday nights through August. Youth speakers supported the center, citing lack of safe activities for teens. Council discussed safety protocols regarding youth leaving the facility; staff noted security guards and procedures.
  • R1 – Demolition of Albany Building: Council approved $1.2 million for demolition of the Albany Building at 125 E 7th Street, including asbestos abatement. Staff reported the property owner is cooperating and the city may acquire the land. The building was damaged by fire and deemed structurally unsafe.
  • S1 – Emergency Fountain Creek Trail Repairs: Council approved $250,000 for emergency repairs to the Fountain Creek Trail north of Highway 47 after washouts and sinkholes from recent rains. The trail is closed; repairs expected to take a couple of weeks.

Key Outcomes

  • N16 (Charter Amendment): Motion to pass on first reading and set public hearing failed (5-2).
  • R3 (Teen Center ARPA Funding): Approved 7-0.
  • R1 (Demolition Funding): Approved 7-0.
  • R2 (Opioid Abatement Agreement with District 60): Approved 6-1.
  • R4 (CSU Pueblo Internship): Approved 7-0.
  • R5, R6, R7 (Cottages at Park West Rezoning and Subdivision): Approved 7-0 each.
  • R8 (Easement Vacation): Approved 7-0.
  • R9 (University Park Subdivision 33rd Filing): Approved 7-0.
  • R10 (Water Main Extension Agreement): Approved 7-0.
  • R11 (Cabaret License Update): Approved 7-0.
  • R12 (Mural Levy Project Agreement): Approved 7-0.
  • S1 (Emergency Trail Repairs): Approved 7-0.
  • Consent agenda items (M1-M18, N1-N15) approved 7-0.

Meeting Transcript

Today is Monday, June 12th. The time is 7.10, and I call this meeting to order. If we could have Pastor Micah Aragon from the Public Christian Center to give our invocation, and if everybody would stand and please stay standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Lord, we just come to you humbly today, and we thank you for who you are. And God, we thank you for this amazing city that we live in that we get to call home. Father, we just ask, even now that you would bless us, bless this city as we continue to grow with peace and unity, Lord. God, we just thank you for the leadership that are fearlessly leading this city, God. We ask that you'd bless them in the name of Jesus. You would strengthen them, give them peace, give them endurance, Lord. Strengthen their families and give them wisdom as they lead, Lord. God, we thank you for all the first responders that serve our city as well, or we ask that you would keep them safe, protect them in Jesus' name. And God, we ask all of this, and we thank you in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Roll call. Larry Tensio. Here. Dennis Flores. Here. Heather Graham. Here. Regina Meistry. Here. Sarah Martinez. Here. Vicente Martinez Ortega. Here. Lori Winter. Okay. And first up on public forum tonight, we have Michelle Gray. Yes. And then it says on, or do I turn it on? Okay. And so thank you for hearing me. Um, City Council, I oh gosh, this stuff makes me nervous. I can stand in front of a classroom and do math all day long, but talking to adults is a different story. So I have it scripted. So I just uh want to point you have a couple of articles uh there. So HB 231202, the overdose prevention center authorization bill died in a bipartisan vote on April 26, 2023. Our senators understand the implementation of drug injection sites and needle exchange programs as a problem, and I think that we need to see it as a problem too. They did not want to give cities the authority to impose drug injection sites in neighborhoods. They didn't want um to have them close to schools without restriction, and they stated that the bill does not uh help those that are actually suffering from addiction. The minority leader, Mike Lynch. Uh, you have a statement there. He says safe injection sites would have misuse tax dollars to facilitate the use of illicit drugs and extended the nightmare for those struggling with drug addiction. He went on to express his gratitude to the Senate for putting an end to this poorly thought-out bill before it created more Colorado opioid tragies. I'm sorry, tragedies in our state. And he saw that kit, and his statement was he made the discovery that the kit was produced by Access Point Pueblo, and it promotes tools and safety information for snorting illegal drugs and promoting that snorting was a safer mess up method for injecting drugs. Um he also stated that this kit crossed the line between harm reduction and drug promotion at the expense of our children in our community. And then he also stated that the Pueblo Board of County Commissioners are taking steps to ensure that any nonprofit promoting needle exchanges will not receive any county money. He went on to say that Access Point Colorado receives money from the state, while Southern Colorado Harm Reduction, which were here I saw them present to you guys, has received county funding uh in the past, and I would ask that city council remove all funding to that program.

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