City Council

Monday, June 1, 2026, 3:30 p.m. (Denver time), Parr-Widener Room 1437 Bannock Street, Room 389

Video of the meeting

On the agenda

Roll-call votes

Documents

Summary

This regular Denver City Council meeting opened with council announcements, including a Vision Zero statement on rising traffic deaths and an emotional announcement by a council member (captioned as "Parity," not matching the roster) that she will resign effective 90 days before the November election due to health reasons, prompting the President to announce committee leadership changes (Romero Campbell to chair Community Planning and Housing; Sawyer as vice chair; Flynn as vice chair of South Platte). The council adopted a proclamation recognizing June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month, with extended remarks on recent shootings and prevention funding, and a proclamation honoring Robbie Family Dentistry's 120 years. The council adopted resolutions including an East 12th Avenue building purchase for affordable housing (with debate over due diligence and affordability mix), airport design services (with a pro tem abstention), and liability claim settlements; a resolution for Denver Health's Supportive Rehousing team failed 13 nays after being incorrectly filed. Required public hearings were held and passed: landmark designation of 3535 East 26th Avenue Parkway (Harris/Cousins family home), a rezoning at 361-363 West Evans Avenue, and the Welton Corridor urban redevelopment plan amendment establishing a tax increment area for the Rossonian hotel redevelopment. Bills on lobbyist regulation and municipal criminal offense classifications were postponed to later dates.

Transcript

0:07 In Denver. It's time for the

0:10 weekly general session of your

0:16 Denver City Tonight's coverage

0:17 of Denver City Council starts

0:19 now.

0:30 Good afternoon, everyone. And

0:31 thank you for taking the time

0:35 to join us for Denver City

0:36 Council is meeting today is

0:39 Monday 2026. In tonight's

0:41 meeting is being interpreted

0:45 into Sam Burgess introduce

0:47 yourself views known. How do

1:03 need station on their devices?

1:19 You can come come to couldn't.

1:20 I just mean it's Wilson to put

1:23 on the left on the To the Some

1:27 of the is be coming to what

1:29 followed was can someone tell

1:29 you when he called on the

1:30 global to be puts opening must

1:34 have looked on. He and a note

1:38 return to sport. On the south

1:38 was present Monday's Tony

1:42 killed will now be assistant

1:42 Thinly coming up. But was

1:44 that put that out the finals.

1:47 Not as much time in this book.

1:47 Which is an offense. And thank

1:50 you very much. Thank you very

1:54 much, Sam. Welcome to the

1:58 Denver City Council meeting

2:03 Monday, first, council

2:09 members, please. He's trying

2:10 councilmember Sawyer in the

2:11 Pledge of Allegiance

2:13 allegiance for which stands.

2:16 One nation under GOD,

2:17 indivisible, liberty and

2:25 justice for all members joint

2:26 council members say or if they

2:28 lead us in the Denver City

2:28 COUNCILMAN Acknowledged the

2:30 Denver City Council honors and

2:31 acknowledges that the land on

2:32 which we reside is the

2:34 traditional territory of the

2:35 huge Cheyenne and Arapaho

2:37 people's. We also recognize

2:38 the 40 in temporary tribal

2:39 nations that are historically

2:39 tied to the lands that make up

2:43 the state of Colorado. We

2:43 monitor all past present and

2:46 future and those who have

2:47 stewards of this land

2:50 recognize the government

2:50 throughout generations to

2:51 academic and cultural

2:53 institutions were founded upon

2:56 continue to enact exclusions.

2:56 Generations of indigenous

2:58 peoples made acknowledgment

2:59 demonstrate commitment to

3:02 working to dismantle ongoing

3:02 legacies of oppression and

3:04 inequities and recognize the

3:04 current and future

3:05 contributions of indigenous

3:10 communities in Denver. Knew

3:13 the secretary will come

3:28 councilmembers. If We didn't

3:37 here. PRESIDENT For mayor of

3:38 So here. Why isn't there

3:48 asylum? Even PRESIDENT? We

3:54 have 13 members council has

3:56 Approval of the there.

3:58 Corrections to the minutes

4:07 member Rivera Camel. If you

4:11 would get teens one with think

4:12 do eu council PRESIDENT The

4:13 correction teens to the

4:14 communication filed during

4:15 last week's meeting. One piece

4:16 of information was missed

4:18 during its reading as follows

4:20 for the record on 5/15/2026

4:22 the following departments and

4:24 agencies provide a report to

4:25 council on how they're on

4:25 call. Contracts were sent the

4:28 city attorney's office, Office

4:29 of Climate Action,

4:30 Sustainability and Resiliency,

4:32 community planning and

4:34 development and birds and

4:36 venues, the Department of

4:38 Public Health and Environment,

4:39 Amber Airport, Denver, Human

4:39 Services, Denver

4:41 Transportation, Depp-amber

4:43 Department of Transportation

4:43 and Infrastructure, Denver

4:44 Parks and Department of

4:45 General Services. The

4:47 Department of Housing,

4:48 Stability and Technology

4:51 Services pursuant to Dr m c

4:53 Section 20 dash. 27 along with

4:54 the quarterly financial report

4:56 conveyed during last week's

4:57 communication notification of

4:58 the report of how on coal

4:59 contracts were spent. Must

5:00 also be read at the next

5:01 council meeting after the

5:02 communication is received.

5:07 Thank you so much. The 18 with

5:11 the correction stand up

5:13 Council announcements. Are

5:13 there any announcements from

5:16 every

5:23 To put him American going to

5:25 start us Great. Thank you,

5:26 MADAM PRESIDENT. I just wanted

5:30 to remind people that we have

5:33 the entire 100 celebration

5:35 this Friday and what is the

5:39 Wilshire a celebration of one

5:44 of the longstanding, historic

5:45 golf courses that we really

5:47 want a private course right

5:48 designed by Donald Ross became

5:54 one of the public golf courses

5:56 open community here the city

5:59 and county of Denver. And so

6:01 we're celebrating it and it's

6:04 a treasured in southeast

6:05 Denver. There will be a

6:06 tournament. So thank you to

6:09 the council members that are

6:10 going in the morning and then

6:14 a community celebration. So

6:18 this from 5 to We welcome you

6:20 to come and join We'll have

6:26 the municipal band and a local

6:30 enders garage our community.

6:33 That will be playing just

6:35 acknowledgment. This really

6:38 big deal. We have folks from

6:40 the Donald Ross Society. A

6:43 cross the country to come and

6:47 celebrate This is the public

6:50 course designed by Donald That

6:59 is west of the Mississippi. So

7:01 this is to join MADAM

7:02 PRESIDENT, before we turn

7:03 tonight to tonight's agenda.

7:04 Want to take a moment to talk

7:08 about Vision. 0 when taking

7:09 the right road and then talk

7:12 about 2017, Denver made a

7:14 promise and no one should lose

7:16 their life simply trying to

7:17 cross the street. Right? If

7:19 like to work or drive home to

7:20 their families. We set rules

7:22 the road traffic by 2030. I'm

7:23 committed to that promise. And

7:26 I hope we are the numbers tell

7:28 us we are not keeping a

7:30 promise. Last year, 93 people

7:31 were killed in Denver streets.

7:32 The deadliest year on record

7:37 over a decade year after year.

7:38 The trend is moving in the

7:41 wrong direction away from 0.

7:43 Not these are not statistics.

7:44 These are our neighbors.

7:46 Angela Simpson was 19 years

7:48 old when he was struck and

7:52 killed in a crosswalk in

7:52 JANUARY. 2nd, the first

7:56 different streets this year

7:58 and just 2 weeks ago, we lost

8:00 bicyclist Denver's southwest

8:05 side was struck in FEBRUARY,

8:06 12th and succumbed to those

8:07 injuries behind name has not

8:08 been released to the public.

8:09 So not presenting a hammering

8:12 out. This is the most recent

8:13 name in a list that already

8:18 far too long. 0 is not a

8:19 slogan. What we adopted that

8:22 we can adopt and set aside. It

8:23 is a commitment that only

8:26 works if we stay focused on

8:28 budget, and how we design our

8:29 streets enforcement and

8:31 decisions we make in this

8:34 chamber Nothing changes in

8:38 deaths continue. That's my

8:40 colleagues, executive branch

8:41 to keep patients are at the we

8:44 into everything tonight.

8:53 Serves to come home COUNCILMAN

8:54 So. Our thoughts and

8:54 sympathies go out to the

8:55 victims of a two-day trip

8:58 Milan surround the city

9:00 recently. So we lost a 14

9:02 Payne who was killed at

9:05 creation center 2 weeks as

9:06 well as a 20 year-old

9:08 university. In a 28 year-old

9:10 Jason Hensley. We're digging

9:11 into excuse according to the

9:14 city medical examiner stated 8

9:17 of the 20 or 40% of the

9:19 homicide victims. And this

9:22 year used are younger. And so

9:26 I hope do more in this city.

9:29 And I do support pr efforts to

9:33 reopen the recreation center

9:33 while also balancing the

9:34 support of their staff, who

9:36 unfortunately, witnessed this

9:37 time in doing so in a way that

9:38 made a great community and use

9:43 our communities. Thank you.

9:43 Thank you. Talked all the

9:48 families really devastating in

9:50 councilmember thank you so

9:51 much. Council PRESIDENT And i

9:56 concur thoughts for support to

9:59 the family we had 3 folks that

10:01 were shot and killed in

10:02 district within the last 30

10:05 days. And so it has been tough

10:06 time for families throughout

10:09 the city. And so not a person

10:15 folks who lost so this past I

10:17 have 2 announcements and there

10:19 are more of congratulation

10:21 applause, too. I committee

10:23 members for events that

10:24 happened this past weekend on

10:26 the city park, friends and

10:28 Neighbors. City Park Alliance

10:31 the annual city ice cream,

10:33 Social. It's a small meeting

10:36 of a several 100, almost a few

10:38 1000 that come to City Park

10:41 every to celebrate. What is

10:42 unofficial kickoff of summer.

10:44 And it provides an opportunity

10:46 for nonprofits to run the site

10:47 to meet with community and to

10:51 elevate fun community Thank

10:54 you so much for the

10:55 coordinators who organizers to

10:58 do this as volunteers every

10:59 year for past. Believe 10

11:02 years and on congratulations

11:03 to the folks that I came out

11:05 and to all the families had a

11:07 great time on Saturday. It was

11:11 fun to hang out and spent some

11:18 family. Also it's Saturday, I

11:19 believe was in Sunday Council

11:20 100 Saturday as well along

11:21 COUNCILWOMAN. And I'll be the

11:24 person sponsored event that

11:26 we've held on now, 2 years in

11:29 a row for global Financial

11:30 Literacy Foundation in

11:32 partnership with Prince it's a

11:33 financial literacy program

11:36 that provides for a financial

11:39 literacy books for young

11:40 people young adults and

11:43 provides the opportunity to

11:44 connect them to families with

11:45 folks and community. They're

11:46 looking at helped out a bill

11:47 wells in the black community

11:48 specifically broader

11:52 communities as well. It was

11:54 another successful event. We

11:55 Cousins We had quite a few

11:56 folks that showed up. We had a

11:58 great time with them and

12:00 providing them books and

12:01 opportunities to meet with

12:04 folks from the and also some

12:05 of the nonprofits. Thank you

12:07 so much to this better greens

12:09 for also being there and were

12:10 able to partner with and her

12:11 team providing healthy food

12:12 for folks at that event. Thank

12:13 you, MADAM PRESIDENT, thank

12:20 you. COUNCILMAN Parity I have

12:21 an announcement tonight trying

12:23 to be relatively quick about

12:25 it. It's kind of more in the

12:27 matter of matter of personal

12:30 as much time Thank you because

12:30 we do a lot on our plates to

12:32 them that I have to share with

12:33 all of And with this does all

12:34 that I am not able to continue

12:40 on due to my health. It's

12:40 devastating to me to reach

12:44 this point because I love In

12:45 every It's been my honor and

12:46 my privilege to be up here

12:48 representing the city that I

12:49 love so much. And do not want

12:51 to stop. This is what I want

12:57 to but it is not in the cards.

12:58 I won't pretend understand

13:00 exactly what's going on

13:01 medically because they don't

13:02 What I can tell you. Is going

13:05 up the stairs now is 100 more

13:08 testing than it used to be to

13:11 go 14 when I stand up from

13:13 committee the World Spins on

13:14 its everything hurts. So it's

13:14 just that kind of thing. Pain

13:17 fatigue. And to the best of my

13:17 knowledge, I don't think that

13:21 there's some. Like

13:21 undiagnosed, you know,

13:23 progressive illness that's

13:23 waiting in the wings for me.

13:24 And I hope there's not. But I

13:25 think I'm more of this

13:29 indeterminate world only comes

13:30 as the overlap with each other

13:32 that are not medically not

13:35 well understood that there's

13:36 more of is I had covid started

13:39 running. And when my son was 4

13:41 months so I kind of in shock

13:45 to be at this point, but I

13:46 can't meaningfully do this job

13:47 can be a parent and try you

13:48 know, be a medical in the gut

13:51 hours that I have every name.

13:52 understanding is that under

13:52 So what will happen next to my

13:55 the city charter, if I'm

13:56 elected official steps down,

13:57 there has to be a special

13:59 election to replace them

14:01 unless they do so within 90

14:03 days that are just before an

14:05 existing election. And knowing

14:06 that we have another tough

14:07 budget, your head, I do not

14:08 want to cause the expense of a

14:10 special election. In addition

14:12 to a ballot that has just one

14:14 race on it that sort of

14:16 unexpected time is not the

14:17 kind love that's going turn

14:19 out and really what the people

14:22 in the city So my plan talking

14:24 to the clerk's office, the

14:26 city attorney's office is to

14:27 formally resigned effective

14:29 which is 90 days before the

14:31 end NOVEMBER election, which

14:32 will allow this seemed to be

14:33 on that I will continue to

14:35 serve on council until that

14:37 date and in particular to make

14:38 sure I show up for important

14:41 votes. I also asked for some

14:42 grace and understanding that I

14:44 am just feeling very rough and

14:45 experiencing limits on what i

14:50 can what they can respond so

14:51 and is now instead partly just

14:53 because I think transparency

14:54 is important local government.

14:56 We should be people that, you

14:58 know, like, you know, your

14:59 neighbors. I also think people

15:01 deserve to understand the

15:02 reasons for decisions impact

15:05 collectively in how we will be

15:06 governed. And then he quickly,

15:09 I want to get people in the

15:10 city time to think about in

15:11 that 90 day period, making a

15:13 run for the seat. I think that

15:14 often the best elected

15:15 officials are not the people

15:16 who immediately think of

15:18 themselves for positions of

15:19 power. So this gives you

15:20 thought you might raise your

15:25 hand. Take seriously. It's a

15:26 little skin of a chance to be

15:29 one of the very few people

15:32 alongside congressional

15:32 representative, the marathon

15:33 or the clerk and my beloved

15:34 colleague, COUNCILMAN Let's

15:35 get to who are elected to

15:36 represent Denver Our city, the

15:40 city. We love the city where

15:42 we've so many Rights movements

15:43 have their homes over the

15:44 years that you're kind in the

15:48 Des People came here as giant,

15:50 a few to Jim Crow, the city

15:51 where we mobilized by

15:52 thousands will be some people

15:54 from Venezuela assist with

15:56 kids in diapers. The city that

15:58 has already mobilized and

15:59 responded overwhelming numbers

16:01 to the to the need to be on

16:04 watch federal agents coming to

16:05 support our neighbors the city

16:07 where kids from rural areas

16:08 like me come to get away from

16:11 kind of the big country and

16:12 the limitations doesn't have a

16:14 lot of country. We have an

16:17 identity is rates that very

16:19 much under attack. Leanne Byer

16:20 federal government. I'm very

16:21 proud of us for knowing who we

16:24 are in the face of And then at

16:25 the same time, this is also a

16:27 city where half of those are