Pueblo City Council Regular Meeting – May 27, 2026

The regular meeting of the Pueblo City Council was called to order at approximately 5:30 PM on May 27, 2026, in City Council Chambers. President Mark Aliff presided. The invocation was given by Pastor Tony Amaya of Pueblo Christian Center. Roll call showed all council members present except Councilor Brett Boston, who arrived later. The meeting included a public hearing on the FY 2026 Annual Action Plan, approval of a consent agenda, discussion and votes on several resolutions and ordinances, and consideration of an ethics complaint against Councilor Joe Latino. Note: The audio transcript states the meeting date as March 26, 2026, but the agenda and this summary use the date provided by the instruction (May 27, 2026).

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the May 11, 2026 regular meeting.
• Approved the consent agenda items: L1 (Planning and Zoning Commission minutes); resolutions M1–M5 (professional services amendment for fire station commissioning, revocable permits for Soap Box Derby and Steel City Arkansas River Festival, appointments to Honor Farm Board and Human Relations Commission).
• Approved first presentations of ordinances N1–N12, setting public hearings for June 8, 2026. These included amendments to intergovernmental agreements with CDOT for trail and roundabout projects, a noise code amendment, adoption of the 2026 Annual Action Plan, staffing additions for a housing redevelopment coordinator, a T-hangar lease, a wastewater fee waiver for Pueblo Springs Apartments, an affordable housing grant amendment, memoranda of understanding with the ATF, and funding for the Fallen Officer Memorial.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brett Verna: Expressed appreciation for city staff; wished Jeff Shaw well in his new role; warned that the city's "Advanced Pueblo" economic development program may deter major employers because it requires companies to submit financial information subject to CORA requests, unlike the previous third-party model. Advocated returning to a third-party economic development approach.
• Elvis Martinez: Congratulated graduates; requested one-on-one meetings with council members to discuss budget ideas; advocated for banning backyard breeding; questioned whether city staff attended a court hearing on airport hangars on paid time.
• Roxana Mack (NAACP President) and Don Tripp (NAACP Secretary): Read a letter requesting transparency about the Italian flag flown on city property at the Columbus statue in front of Rawlings Library. They proposed a rotating flag policy to reflect Pueblo's cultural diversity (e.g., Mexican flag for Cinco de Mayo, Pan-African flag for Juneteenth) and asked that no single ethnic group receive exclusive recognition on city property. Council President Mark Aliff responded, acknowledging his Italian descent but stating he supports flying other flags alongside the Italian flag, not replacing it, and cannot support the request as presented. Councilor Diane Dante expressed agreement with the NAACP that all cultural groups should be treated equally on public property.

Discussion Items

• Project Falcon (Advanced Manufacturing Facility): Councilor Ted Hernandez provided a detailed overview of a proposed advanced manufacturing facility. Key points: 293 new jobs with an average salary of $80,000 and median salary of $65,350; annual payroll of $25–30 million; $17 million in sales and use tax revenue over three years; $2 billion economic impact over four years; the company will bring its own solar farm, not impacting ratepayers. He argued that growing tax revenue is necessary to address the city's $8 million annual deficit. Mayor Heather Graham responded, opposing the project due to lack of transparency: the company has not disclosed what it manufactures, and the proposed incentive package would commit nearly the entire remaining half-cent sales tax fund (about $65 million) to one company, along with additional burdens on wastewater ratepayers. She called for a public hearing and criticized council members for wanting to proceed without public disclosure. Councilor Hernandez acknowledged the MOU is not on tonight's agenda because the company would not agree to public discussion of their product.
• Councilor Roger Gomez’s Statement on Legislative Interference: Councilor Gomez delivered a lengthy statement alleging that executive branch actors (prior to the new city clerk) delayed, blocked, filtered, or rerouted his official communications through the city clerk’s dissemination system. He argued this violates the separation of powers under the Pueblo City Charter and the Colorado Open Meetings Law. He requested full equal dissemination rights for all elected council members, written clarification of dissemination procedures, and reaffirmation that legislative communications belong to the council, not the executive branch. He also formally requested that the city attorney draft a resolution to abolish the Advanced Pueblo project.
• Ethics Complaint (Item U1): City Attorney Harley Gifford reported that an ethics complaint (E26-2) had been filed against Councilor Joe Latino based on conduct observed on April 16, 2026. The Department of Law recommended dismissal because the complaint failed to state a claim: the alleged violation referenced a legislative declaration rather than an operative prohibition; the conduct was personal, not an official act; and no official act by Latino was identified. Council voted to accept the communication (5-1) and then to dismiss the complaint (5-1). Councilor Latino was excused from the meeting during this item.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (7-0).
• Resolution Q1 (RESPEC engineering services for drainage improvements): Approved unanimously (7-0).
• Ordinance R1 (Rezoning Shulls Subdivision from O-1 to R-2): Approved unanimously (7-0).
• Ordinance R2 (Pellecchia Subdivision): Approved unanimously (7-0).
• Ordinances S1–S6 (Final Presentation): All approved unanimously (7-0). These included:
  • S1: Amending code on motorized vehicles on bike paths to clarify that the Parks and Recreation Director issues permits.
  • S2: Accepting a CDOT Aeronautics Division grant ($20,359) for Taxiway A seal coat at Pueblo Memorial Airport.
  • S3: Approving a second amendment to the RAISE grant agreement for the West Side Connector Project, obligating funds by September 2026 with expenditure by 2031.
  • S4: Approving a Memorandum of Understanding with Friends of City Park and Historic Pueblo for renovation of the City Park Bath House. The city is not responsible for funding but may face liability if the project fails after grant funds are spent.
  • S5: Transferring $25,000 and approving a preliminary engineering agreement with BNSF Railway for the West 24th Street overpass design.
  • S6: Accepting a $70,000 donation from Morningstar Creations for improvements to Vinewood Skate Park.
• Public Hearing J1 (FY 2026 Annual Action Plan): Opened, received staff report, and closed with no public testimony.
• Council Comments: Council members reminded the public to wear seatbelts, not drink and drive, and congratulated the Class of 2026. Councilor Brett Boston noted Pueblo must embrace change for progress.