Pueblo City Council Regular Meeting – May 27, 2025

The Pueblo City Council met on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, with all seven council members present. The meeting opened with invocation by Pastor Bill Dole of King of Kings Lutheran Church, Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and a proclamation. The council handled consent items, regular resolutions and ordinances, and quasi-judicial matters, with votes detailed below.

Proclamation

• Councilor Flores presented a proclamation declaring May 27, 2025 as Pueblo Firefighters IAFF Local Three Day in Pueblo. Firefighters accepted and thanked the community.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved the consent agenda 7-0, receiving planning and zoning minutes; approving multiple resolutions, including professional services agreements ($434,106 for Brown & Caldwell; $33,000 for Arcadis), an emergency sanitary sewer repair contract ($240,641.88 with Miller Pipeline), a City Park Admin Building railing contract ($22,654 plus $4,000 contingency), a wastewater pretreatment design amendment ($26,470), fund transfers ($53,000), board appointments, revocable permits, and ordinances set for public hearing on June 9, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Elvis Martinez raised concerns about transparency in the purchase of the PBR building (101 Riverwalk), claimed a letter of intent was signed by the mayor on January 21, 2025, and asked the council to place the issue on the ballot for precincts 19, 20, and 21. He also criticized lack of email replies from at-large councilors.
• Diane Dante cited City Code Appendix A, Section 7, limiting council debate, asked council to adhere to those rules, and announced she is running for City Council District 1.
• Collaine Clark supported Ted Freeman, advocated eliminating PEDCO, and asked Councilor Sarah Martinez to remain in her seat.
• Ken Dante urged pursuing community choice energy to reduce high Black Hills rates and encouraged creating a city energy commission.
• During the Q1 public hearing, Josette Hadamillo (AFSME staff representative), Alice Grimm (PAGE Local 1712 president), and Dylan Goodman (city employee) spoke in favor of higher wages for general service employees. Hadamillo and Grimm described essential, underrecognized city work; Goodman urged adopting the union proposal or negotiating further, warning of burnout and turnover. Speaker Grimm referred to an increase “over and above the 2.54%,” while staff had cited 2.45%.
• During the R1 public hearing, Elvis Martinez and Dave DeSunzo opposed the proposed limit of 10 speakers for three minutes, with DeSunzo suggesting a total 30-minute public forum divided among speakers.
• During the R4 public hearing, Alex Briggs, vice president of IAFF Local 3, spoke in favor of the firefighter contract extension, citing comparable jurisdictions, the 2020 zero raise, and increasing workload.

Discussion Items

• Q1 – PAGE collective bargaining final proposal: Staff recommended a 2.45% wage increase for the Pueblo Association of Government Employees, costing $861,000, versus the union’s 8% proposal costing approximately $2,199,000. The charter requires advisory arbitration, with an arbitration decision expected by August 6 and, if unresolved, a potential November ballot question. Council members debated affordability and fairness; Mayor Graham noted the city’s 2025 deficit of $8.6 million and flat or negative sales tax revenue. Approved 7-0.
• Council contingency sponsorships: Q2 sponsored Pueblo Diversified Industries “Dancing with the Pueblo Stars” ($1,250, amended by Councilor Gomez to $1,500), approved 7-0. Q3 sponsored Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo Authority’s “Rolling on the Riverwalk” at $2,500; an amendment to reduce to $500 failed, and the resolution passed 6-1. Q4 sponsored YMCA Camp Jackson’s inaugural “Moonlight on the Mountain” at $1,500, approved 7-0.
• R1 – Public forum and meeting start time: The ordinance amended Section 1-4-2 to allow 10 public forum speakers for up to three minutes and aligned the code with Appendix A to start regular meetings at 7:00 p.m. Council debated limiting debate and spoke about the value of robust discussion. Approved 4-3.
• R2 – CDOT access permit agreement: Approved an agreement with DTV Pueblo and Prairie LLC for striping obligations at the new Whataburger property. Approved 7-0.
• R3 – Police contract extension: Extended the IBPO Local 537 collective bargaining agreement one year through December 31, 2026, with formula-based wage increases of 3.6% for officers and 4.0% for sergeants. Approved 7-0.
• R4 – Fire contract extension: Extended the IAFF Local 3 agreement one year through December 31, 2026, with a 4.72% formula-based wage increase. Approved 7-0.
• R5 – 101 Riverwalk Unit 2 project: Established project budget and appropriated approximately $2.023 million in certificate-of-participation proceeds for improvements to the building known as the PBR building/new city hall. Unused funds could repay COP principal. Approved 5-2.
• S1 – Rezoning: Rezoned 1332 Cypress Street from R3 to RCN to allow two existing homes to be placed on separate lots. Approved 7-0.
• S2 – Utility easement vacation: Vacated a 1,700 square foot public utility easement at 19 Temple Drive to allow development of adjacent lots. Approved 7-0.

Key Outcomes

• All consent agenda items passed 7-0.
• Q1 approved 7-0; arbitration scheduled for mid-July; advisory decision due by August 6; possible November ballot if no agreement.
• Q2 approved 7-0 at $1,500; Q3 approved 6-1 at $2,500; Q4 approved 7-0 at $1,500.
• R1 approved 4-3; R2 7-0; R3 7-0; R4 7-0; R5 5-2; S1 7-0; S2 7-0.
• Next regular meeting scheduled for June 9, 2025, with public hearings on consent-agenda ordinances and possible ballot measure discussion.