Pueblo City Council Meeting - March 25, 2024: Parental Leave, Law Department Staffing, and Ethics Complaint
Pueblo City Council Regular Meeting - March 25, 2024
The Pueblo City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, March 25, 2024, starting at 7:28 PM. The meeting included special recognitions, public comments, approval of consent agenda items, discussion and votes on several resolutions and ordinances, an executive session, and an ethics complaint against Councilor Regina Meistry. Key actions included approval of parental leave for council members (7-0), denial of additional law department staffing (3-4), and dismissal of an ethics complaint (6-0).
Special Recognitions
- Fiesta Queen and Court: Councilor Flores presented certificates to the 2023-2024 Colorado State Fair Fiesta Queen and Court (Erica Cordova, Wendy Adame, Karina Ruiz, Sofia Diaz). The pageant coordinator announced the 2024 pageant on June 22nd at CSUP with increased scholarships.
- First Responder Wellness Week: A proclamation declaring March 25-29, 2024 as First Responder Wellness Week in Pueblo was presented to Joshua Johnson, highlighting the high risk of PTSD (25.6 times higher) and the importance of wellness for first responders.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Frank Artiaga (volunteer director, gun exchange program): Reported that since 1993, 125 guns have been turned in to police. He requested a letter of support from council for the program, noting that the district attorney has backed it 100% and that over the last three years there have been nearly 100 homicides, mostly involving firearms.
- Ted Freeman (citizen): Criticized the council's use of the half-cent sales tax fund, stating it currently has $50 million uncommitted and generates $12 million annually. He urged the council to redefine the fund's purpose via a citizen vote and opposed further PEDCO funding and shell buildings.
- Elvis Martinez (citizen): Reported that his car was vandalized on March 16th (four slashed tires) and a photo of himself was left on his windshield. He claimed it was politically motivated and urged council members to condemn or condone the act. He also questioned the need for M19 (mileage reimbursement) and requested transparency on excused absences.
- Marty Harvey (citizen): Asked the city to enforce codes against vehicles parking on sidewalks and damaged gutter pans. He suggested an ordinance and noted that sidewalk repairs are the owner's responsibility, but the city could assist low-income owners with community service or a small excise tax.
- Sam Hernandez (citizen): Expressed support for awarding construction contracts to local companies, citing that one local company (Tony J. Petra Construction) employs over 20 Pueblo residents. He criticized Pyramid Construction for hiring a driver with a history of DWIs who caused a multi-car accident involving his own vehicle.
Discussion Items
- Mayor's Announcement of Chief of Staff: Mayor Heather announced the appointment of Brian McCain as Chief of Staff, effective April 2nd. McCain formerly served as COO of Action Colorado, district director for Congressman Scott Tipton, and regional director for Senator Wayne Allard. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and graduate of CSU Pueblo.
- M21 – Parental Leave Policy: A resolution to amend council rules to allow parental leave (up to six weeks excused absence, with possible extension). The discussion included concerns about quorum and tie-breaking, but supporters argued it is needed to attract younger council members and is consistent with city employee policy. Councilor Martinez noted she is the first pregnant council member in Pueblo's 154-year history. Passed 7-0.
- Q1-Q5 – Council Contingency Fund Requests: All five resolutions were debated, with public comment from Ted Freeman opposing the use of taxpayer money for nonprofit sponsorships. Councilor Gomez suggested future caps and matching requirements. The votes: Q1 (Southern Colorado Press Club) passed 6-1; Q2 (Juneteenth Organization) passed 7-0; Q3 (Cinco de Mayo event) passed 7-0; Q4 (Boys & Girls Club) passed 6-1; Q5 (Ark of Pueblo) passed 7-0.
- R5 – Law Department Staffing: Proposed adding three full-time positions (one deputy city attorney, two assistant city attorneys) to address workload bottlenecks. Council President Aylef opposed citing a 4% population growth but a 96% increase in the law department budget since 2010. Councilor Flores emphasized trust in directors. The motion failed 3-4 (Aylef, Gomez, Latino, Meistry opposed; Flores, Hernandez, Martinez in favor).
- T1 – Ethics Complaint Against Councilor Meistry: A citizen complaint alleging Councilor Meistry violated ethics rules by spreading rumors. The city attorney recommended dismissal for failure to state a specific violation. Council voted to dismiss 6-0 (Meistry excused).
Consent Calendar
- Approved the agenda as amended (moved M21 to regular agenda; pulled N4 and R6 indefinitely; added executive session).
- Approved minutes of March 11, 2024 meeting.
- Approved all consent items (M1-M20, N1-N7, and ordinanace first presentations) with a single vote (7-0). These included contracts for road improvements, park basketball court replacement, ARPA funding for equipment, engineering services, and various ordinances.
Key Outcomes
- Parental Leave Policy: Adopted (7-0).
- Law Department Staffing: Denied (3-4).
- Ethics Complaint: Dismissed (6-0).
- Council Contingency Funds: All five resolutions approved (majority 6-1 or 7-0).
- Property Exchange with CDOT: Approved (7-0) for fire station land acquisition and interchange work.
- QuikTrip Subdivision and Special Area Plan: Approved (7-0) for a commercial development on the former Lake Drive-In site.
- Alley Vacation: Approved (7-0) in Irving Place to prevent illegal dumping.
- Eviction Prevention Agreement: Approved (7-0) with Pueblo County.
- Fiber Reorganization Assignment: Approved (7-0).
- MOU with DMVA: Approved (7-0) for fire inspections.
- Executive Session: Held for negotiations and property matters (closed session).
Next steps include the implementation of the parental leave policy, continued recruitment for law department positions (if any), and further action on council contingency fund guidelines as suggested by Councilor Gomez. The mayor's new chief of staff will start April 2nd.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, a beautiful evening in Pueblo, Colorado. A regular city council meeting uh to order, and today is Monday, March 25th. The time is 728. And we're gonna start with our invocation. Uh Pastor Jim Ure Pueblo Praise. Come on down. Once we're done, we'll uh do the Pledge of Allegiance. If you want, you can stand. Hey, Pastor. Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Lord, I pray that you would bless this session. Bless all of our community leaders, Lord, all of the law enforcement God and those that protect our community. Lord, just thank you for your presence here today, and everybody that's here to help our city to run smoothly and help our citizens, God, just to prosper and to grow in Jesus' name. Amen. I pledge what you just like. One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice. Thank you, Pastor. Madam Clerk, roll call. Sarah Martinez. Here. Dennis Flores. Here. Regina Meistry. Here. Mark A. Left. Here. Roger Gomez. Charles Hernandez. And for the is uh Mr. Is Mr. Silatino. He's here. Absent. He was on Zoom earlier. He was on Zoom. Did we lose him? He does not appear to be on this new Zoom yet. Okay. Mr. Councillor Latino is on vacation, so he's trying his best. We now move into special recognition. E1 is a presentation to the Colorado State Fair Fiesta Queen and Court. Councilor Flores is going to give the presentation. Come on down. Come on down. Royalty. As everybody knows, uh the Colorado State Fair has one special day, and that's Fies today. It also happens to be probably the biggest day of the Colorado State Fair. So I'm really proud to be able to present these uh recognition certificates to the two of you and also for the uh the other two that could not make it.
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