OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Pueblo City Council Meeting: New Officers, MLK Proclamation, and Urban Renewal Debates – January 8, 2024

City Council — Monday, January 8, 2024
BodyPueblo, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, January 8, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:17:31

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Recording in progress.

0:20

Today is Monday, January eighth, twenty twenty-four.

0:23

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

0:27

We are going to have our invocation by Reverend Robert S.

0:30

Lewis from Fellowship of Bible.

0:32

If we can have you up here, sir.

0:34

And if everybody will stand and please stay standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and the invocation.

0:47

And now let us pray.

0:51

Almighty and everlasting God who has made all peoples of the earth for your glory to live and serve you in freedom, truth, justice, equality, free from oppression and any symbol that reminds us of it.

1:16

As we began 2024, Lord, there is still so much left to do and decide.

1:24

So grant all of us, whether city council members, administrators, clerks, and workers, the common folk.

1:34

We, the citizens of Pueblo and the county, the courage not only to address the stuff that we need to, but to make changes to the stuff that will meet the needs, hopes, and dreams of not only the privileged voices crying out, we the people, but the unseen, homeless.

2:10

So grant the council the resolve, seasoned with wisdom and compassion in their decisions to show the rest of Colorado the greatness of Pueblo and all its people.

2:23

Almighty God, keep thy all-seeing eye upon our law enforcement, fire, emergency first responders, animal control officers, and all the people that they have sworn to serve.

2:37

In thy holy name.

2:39

Amen.

3:02

Okay, roll call.

3:09

Dennis Flores.

3:10

Here.

3:11

Heather Graham.

3:11

Here.

3:12

Regina Meistry.

3:13

Here.

3:13

Sarah Martinez.

3:14

Roger Gomez.

3:15

Here.

3:16

Mark A.

3:16

Leff.

3:16

Here.

3:17

Joe Latino.

3:18

Here.

3:19

Everybody's here.

3:21

Okay.

3:21

Now we will do the oath of office for Mark A.

3:25

Liff, Roger Gomez, and Joe Latino.

3:53

All right.

3:53

I'll have all three of you raise your right hands, please.

3:56

And I'll read it in the second at the end if you do.

4:01

Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution and Laws of the United States and of the state of Colorado, the charter and ordinances of Pueblo, and that you will faithfully perform the duties of the office of city councilor with the city of Pueblo, and to the best of your knowledge and ability, maintain an efficient service in a city, free from partisan distinction and control.

4:22

So help you, God.

4:24

Thank you.

4:25

Congratulations.

4:33

So we're going to have um have each of you come to sign your oath of office, and then you can take pictures individually with your families, and then we'll continue on.

5:00

So we're gonna have um have each of you come to sign your um oath of office and then you can take pictures individually with your families and then we'll continue on how about a sign of office lady take care of the we have Mr.

5:40

uh Councillor Latinos uh if there's anyone that would like to take a picture with you that may be in the audience, please feel free to come up.

5:49

His children.

5:53

Anybody wanting to take a picture with Mr.

5:55

Latino, come on up.

5:59

Anyone go take a picture?

6:57

Thank you.

7:19

Counselor Gomez.

8:22

Okay, cool.

9:31

Okay, is everybody situated?

9:33

We're gonna move on to our election of our twenty twenty-four officers.

9:37

So at this time um we're gonna do a lecture on the president um and I will entertain any motions.

9:43

Madam President, I'd like to nominate a man with years of experience who has proven himself to be calm, cool, and collected during times where it's a bit chaotic on this dais.

9:55

Um so I'd like to nominate Councillor Flores as president.

10:00

Okay, is there a second for that nomination?

10:04

Second.

10:05

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████17%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Urban Renewal███████████11%
Homelessness████████8%
Public Health Awareness███████7%
Government Structure██████6%
Public Works██████6%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Affordable Housing████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Pueblo City Council Regular Meeting – January 8, 2024

The Pueblo City Council met on Monday, January 8, 2024, at 7:00 PM in City Council Chambers. The meeting included the oath of office for three new council members, election of 2024 officers, a proclamation for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March Day, public testimony on homelessness, crime, and code enforcement, and a lengthy debate over urban renewal resolutions and ordinances. Several agenda items were postponed or removed, and multiple resolutions and ordinances were approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Elvis Martinez spoke about code enforcement, alleging racist remarks by two police officers captured on camera in July 2023. He called for the officers' termination and criticized the proposed camping ban as criminalizing homelessness.
  • Frank Cerillo asked about restitution owed to the city for damage to the Columbus statue by a former council member, requesting an update on payments.
  • Zan Kellogg (Dr. Alexander Kellogg) reframed the homelessness issue as a housing crisis, describing volunteer work with Project Apollo. He opposed the camping ban, citing lack of shelter capacity, pet restrictions, and inadequate resources for the unhoused.
  • Brett Boston, a local business owner, supported the camping ban, citing drug addiction, trash, and crime. He praised police efforts but called for more enforcement and easier business development.
  • Riley Geronno, a Marine Corps veteran and Project Apollo volunteer, opposed the camping ban, citing data from Denver: unsheltered homelessness grew from 671 (2014) to 1,561 (2020) despite such bans. She argued bans are cruel, ineffective, and costly.
  • Grace Smith and Mark Salazar (founder of Hard Knox Gang Prevention) spoke about the murder of Grace's son, Daniel Smith (the 26th homicide in Pueblo in 2023). They requested support for gang prevention programs, noting lack of local funding.

Discussion Items

  • Election of 2024 Officers: Council President Heather Graham presided. Mark Aliff was elected President (5-2 vote over Dennis Flores). Roger Gomez was elected Vice President by acclamation. Regina Meistry was appointed Work Session Chair by President Aliff.
  • Urban Renewal Debates (M4, M5, N9, N10): The council debated removing resolutions M4 (North Elizabeth study) and M5 (Bluffs study) and their corresponding ordinances. After discussion, M4 was removed (developer requested), M5 was approved 5-2 (developer supported study), and both N9 and N10 were postponed to a later date due to disagreements between the city, urban renewal authority, and developers over plan language. Councilors expressed frustration over delays and lack of information for new members.
  • Camping Ban Ordinance (N8): Postponed to January 22, 2024, at the request of a councilor. Several council members commented on the complexity of the issue, weighing environmental concerns (Councilor Meistry) against the need for compassion and resources (Councilor Graham).
  • Street Renaming (R1): Unanimously approved renaming US Highway 50 Bypass to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bypass. Staff reported that 19 properties on frontage roads would retain their addresses; permanent signage will be installed during the planned CDOT interchange reconstruction (2024–2027), with interim signage costing $40,000–$75,000.

Key Outcomes

  • Council President: Mark Aliff elected (5-2).
  • Vice President: Roger Gomez elected (acclamation).
  • Work Session Chair: Regina Meistry appointed.
  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously, including resolutions M1–M3 and ordinances N1, N2, N4–N6, N11 (set for public hearing January 22, 2024).
  • M4 (North Elizabeth study): Removed from agenda.
  • M5 (Bluffs study): Approved (5-2).
  • N9 (Bluffs Phase 1 plan): Postponed (6-1).
  • N10 (North Elizabeth Hotel plan): Postponed (6-1).
  • N7 and N8 (commercial vehicles and camping ban): Postponed to January 22, 2024.
  • Q1 (Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center sponsorship): Approved unanimously ($1,000).
  • R1 (MLK bypass street name change): Approved unanimously.
  • R2–R4 (Pope Block Building repairs): All approved unanimously ($30,000, $25,000, $10,000).
  • R5 (Pueblo Food Project subgrant): Approved unanimously ($20,000 from Pueblo County).
  • R6 (Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger subgrant): Approved unanimously ($12,000).
  • R7 (DOTS program grant): Approved unanimously ($15,000 from Caring For Colorado Foundation).
  • R8 (Mutual aid with Otero County): Approved unanimously.
  • R9 (Crawford Townhomes landscape delay): Approved unanimously; landscaping must be completed by May 31, 2024, or security posted.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. Today is Monday, January eighth, twenty twenty-four. The time is seven PM, and I call this meeting to order. We are going to have our invocation by Reverend Robert S. Lewis from Fellowship of Bible. If we can have you up here, sir. And if everybody will stand and please stay standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and the invocation. And now let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God who has made all peoples of the earth for your glory to live and serve you in freedom, truth, justice, equality, free from oppression and any symbol that reminds us of it. As we began 2024, Lord, there is still so much left to do and decide. So grant all of us, whether city council members, administrators, clerks, and workers, the common folk. We, the citizens of Pueblo and the county, the courage not only to address the stuff that we need to, but to make changes to the stuff that will meet the needs, hopes, and dreams of not only the privileged voices crying out, we the people, but the unseen, homeless. So grant the council the resolve, seasoned with wisdom and compassion in their decisions to show the rest of Colorado the greatness of Pueblo and all its people. Almighty God, keep thy all-seeing eye upon our law enforcement, fire, emergency first responders, animal control officers, and all the people that they have sworn to serve. In thy holy name. Amen. Okay, roll call. Dennis Flores. Here. Heather Graham. Here. Regina Meistry. Here. Sarah Martinez. Roger Gomez. Here. Mark A. Leff. Here. Joe Latino. Here. Everybody's here. Okay. Now we will do the oath of office for Mark A. Liff, Roger Gomez, and Joe Latino. All right. I'll have all three of you raise your right hands, please. And I'll read it in the second at the end if you do. Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution and Laws of the United States and of the state of Colorado, the charter and ordinances of Pueblo, and that you will faithfully perform the duties of the office of city councilor with the city of Pueblo, and to the best of your knowledge and ability, maintain an efficient service in a city, free from partisan distinction and control. So help you, God. Thank you. Congratulations. So we're going to have um have each of you come to sign your oath of office, and then you can take pictures individually with your families, and then we'll continue on. So we're gonna have um have each of you come to sign your um oath of office and then you can take pictures individually with your families and then we'll continue on how about a sign of office lady take care of the we have Mr. uh Councillor Latinos uh if there's anyone that would like to take a picture with you that may be in the audience, please feel free to come up. His children. Anybody wanting to take a picture with Mr. Latino, come on up. Anyone go take a picture? Thank you.

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