City Council

Monday, June 29, 2026, 3:30 p.m. (Denver time), Cathy Reynolds City Council Chamber 1437 Bannock Street, Room 450

Video of the meeting

On the agenda

Roll-call votes

Documents

Summary

The Denver City Council's June 29, 2026 general session opened with member announcements, including recognition of fallen firefighters, the passing of journalist Lynn Bartels and community member Bruce Basket, upcoming trans-protection legislation, and July 4th events. The Council adopted a proclamation honoring Patricia 'Patty' Calhoun for 49 years as editor of Westword. On final consideration, the Council passed Council Bill 26-0619 rezoning roughly 114 acres at 64th and Yampa for a United Airlines flight training facility expansion in Council District 11, and Council Bill 26-0654, a small boundary amendment between two Loretto Heights PUD districts in Harvey Park South, as amended. The most debated item was Council Bill 26-0328, updating municipal criminal offense classifications and penalties to comply with the Colorado Supreme Court's People v. Camp decision and creating a sentencing working group; after two floor amendments and lengthy debate it passed by a vote announced as 9 ayes and 4 noes.

Transcript

0:06 Denver. It's time for the

0:08 weekly general session of your

0:15 Denver City Tonight's coverage

0:15 of Denver City Council starts

0:18 now.

0:41 There you go. And we start

0:43 over. Good afternoon,

0:44 everyone. And thank for taking

0:45 the time to join us for Denver

0:49 City Council. As many today is

0:51 Monday, JUNE JUNE, 29th 2026.

0:52 Tonight's meeting is being

0:55 interpreted into Spanish. Sam

0:56 Burgess mean, would you please

0:58 introduce yourself and let our

0:58 viewers know how to enable

1:00 temptation on their devices?

1:03 Just glad Lee. Thank you for

1:07 having us, One. My name is Sam

1:09 Guzman with the clc joining

1:13 your virtually through zoom.

1:14 And along with my calling just

1:14 mean will be interpreting

1:18 today's meeting Spanish.

1:19 Please allow me a quick

1:20 minute. Only give instructions

1:20 in Spanish on how access

1:24 interpretation. From the

1:24 thought is that you know

1:25 someone was mindfulness and to

1:29 see. You want them to come

1:29 because they don't just mean

1:30 the on the left and on their

1:33 way on this play Too soon call

1:34 us a little comment that hold

1:40 most consultant I a one of the

1:41 little kid. He that us here

1:41 opening a civil tone, said

1:42 looks to me Lipscomb this

1:46 content in this book. Too soon

1:48 to go into those dozen

1:48 sentiment Tony Time. The

1:50 coming up, a was killed a

1:52 stunt that can pull out of the

1:52 furnace? Put up with that

1:54 description in Which is that

1:57 isis and thank you very much.

2:01 Thank you very much, Sam.

2:03 Welcome to the Denver City

2:06 Council meeting Monday, JUNE

2:08 29th 2026. Council members

2:09 please join Councilmember

2:10 Cashman in the Pledge of

2:24 Allegiance

2:34 it council members

2:36 please join Councilmember

2:36 Cashman as they lead in the

2:39 Denver City Council land

2:40 Acknowledgement the Denver

2:42 City Council honors and

2:42 acknowledges that the land on

2:46 which we reside the

2:47 traditional territory of the

2:50 Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples.

2:51 We also recognize the 48

2:54 contemporary tribal nations

2:56 that are historically tied to

2:56 the lands that make up the

3:00 state of Colorado. We honor

3:02 elders past and present and

3:04 future and those who a steward

3:06 of this land throughout

3:08 generations. We also recognize

3:11 government academic and

3:12 cultural institutions were

3:15 founded upon and continue to

3:16 enact exclusions and they re

3:18 shoes of indigenous peoples.

3:21 MAY this acknowledgment

3:22 demonstrated commitment 2

3:25 working to dismantle ongoing

3:27 legacies of oppression and

3:28 equities and recognize the

3:30 current and future

3:31 contributions indigenous

3:35 communities and under. Thank

3:36 you. MADAM Secretary will

3:40 call. Councilmembers Gonzalez

3:49 could Get charity. Sawyer.

3:57 Ali, plan. If Gilmore here,

4:02 Kerry here. Lewis present from

4:03 Eric Ample here to was MADAM

4:07 Presence on the here. 13

4:08 members present. There are 13

4:12 members present council has a

4:13 number of the minutes

4:13 correction to the minutes of

4:18 JUNE 22nd. Seeing none the

4:23 minutes time to prove that.

4:23 Council and announcements

4:24 there any announcements from

4:25 members of council this

4:31 afternoon? Councilmember

4:33 Abbie, that I sent to start us

4:34 off. Thank you, council

4:35 PRESIDENT. I want to take a

4:39 moment to. Recognize an event

4:40 I was able to attend this

4:41 morning. I was able to attend

4:42 the Maxim Food truck text. So

4:45 at the Denver Coliseum where

4:46 Denver Department of Public

4:48 Health and Environment at

4:52 Wisonsin Consumer Protection

4:53 and Denver fire were all there

4:54 to help our food trucks know

4:58 about. And when to get

5:00 licenses and all the rules

5:01 that are required for food

5:02 trucks. There was a really

5:03 great event and it was

5:07 originally started by the

5:08 Denver Fire Department. I also

5:10 wanted to give a special

5:10 recognition to our

5:11 firefighters who are fighting

5:15 the fires across Colorado

5:16 right now and just send my

5:19 condolences and my heart with

5:19 the 3 firefighters that were

5:22 lost over the weekend.

5:24 Thinking about all our

5:25 firefighters right now. Please

5:28 do not fly any fireworks. This

5:29 4th of JULY and have that in

5:31 mind. Thank you. Council

5:32 PRESIDENT, thank Come to Pro

5:34 Tem America Month. Thank you,

5:38 MADAM PRESIDENT I just wanted

5:41 to I have 2 pieces very

5:44 personal ones that I like to

5:46 share one on the good news

5:48 side and my son is getting

5:49 married this next Saturday.

5:51 And I think I wanted to just

5:53 give a shout out to hit on

5:54 Aspen. This is an exciting

5:56 time in a new time on their

5:57 journey in their life

6:01 together. And it's just it's

6:02 so cool and also terrified

6:03 that I'm old enough. It has

6:06 some that can buried. On that

6:09 end, I also have sad news

6:12 because one of our community

6:13 members has passed away was in

6:15 hospice for short period of

6:17 time. But some of you MAY know

6:21 him basket has passed away and

6:21 there will be a memorial

6:25 service on JULY. 11th, but I

6:26 just wanted to recognize him

6:26 because I think he really

6:30 exemplified civic engagement.

6:31 He was active. She probably I

6:32 think he's e-mailed everybody

6:35 on this council agree with

6:39 him. Disagree with him and any

6:41 time in we always had very

6:42 robust conversations. But I

6:46 just appreciate how incredibly

6:47 committed he was to the

6:49 community to the neighborhood

6:51 and to the city and county of

6:53 Denver. And so I just wanted

6:54 to recognize for us at this

6:58 time for all that he has had

6:59 had done to contribute to the

7:02 community. So more information

7:04 to come and we'll be sending a

7:06 little link and are a

7:08 newsletter for his memorial

7:11 service. Thank Thank you.

7:16 Except we have councilmember

7:17 Thank you, MADAM PRESIDENT. I

7:18 was absent last week and so

7:19 forgive me someone made note

7:23 of this at the time. But I

7:27 want to acknowledge the One

7:27 incredible journalist who

7:31 embark holes. Passed away. I

7:37 think on the 18th. Several

7:38 years, at she and I were

7:41 Parker's. The Rocky Mountain

7:43 News in covering this very

7:44 body and the mayor's office

7:49 and the administration. Flynn

7:52 was a veritable encyclopedia

7:54 of Colorado politics and

7:55 people involved in them. And

7:56 when she went up to the state

7:58 House shoes just grew her

8:00 Rolodex exponentially widely

8:09 respected. Encyclopedic

8:10 knowledge who was who and who

8:10 did what to who and where the

8:11 bodies were buried and which

8:14 ones she buried could fill a

8:18 book. And with her past saying

8:21 there goes just a repository

8:26 that can never be duplicated.

8:30 She was a attacker, matter

8:33 which side of the aisle you

8:35 came from, she would cover you

8:37 fairly. And lot of people talk

8:39 about being back Stoppers and

8:41 I would refer to her a front

8:42 stabber because she would know

8:45 she was coming. And it was a

8:46 pleasure for me to work with

8:48 her in this building and then

8:52 to watch continue to grow. And

8:54 just the enormous amount of

8:56 outpouring respect and

9:00 condolences that her occasion

9:03 from people all over the

9:05 incredible job that she did

9:05 state. His testimony to

9:06 while she was here on this

9:10 Earth. I have no doubt that

9:11 she's grilling Saint Peter at

9:13 the Pearly gates before he

9:15 letter she's his whole

9:17 background and probably writer

9:19 and before she gets and they

9:22 Thank you, MADAM PRESIDENT,

9:27 Incue COUNCILMAN Comer. Thank

9:30 you Council. PRESIDENT

9:35 Sandoval, am excited share the

9:36 last Wednesday, COUNCILMAN

9:40 Lewis and along with many

9:42 advocates in the announced

9:43 some work that we've been

9:47 doing along with council woman

9:48 parity and that we're very

9:50 eager to get this legislation

9:55 before you and essentially

9:58 this legislation protections

9:59 for members of our families

10:03 who are part of the trans

10:04 community. We all know that

10:05 the federal administration has

10:09 been ramping up their threats

10:12 against trans gender,

10:13 expansive communities. And we

10:16 want to make sure that in

10:20 Denver were very clear around

10:22 what we protect people in and

10:24 how we do that essentially.

10:29 And so this legislation will

10:32 reduce unnecessary

10:34 documentation gender and sex

10:36 expression and any markers

10:38 that are not essential,

10:42 required we will not collect

10:43 those anymore. And so we're

10:44 working together with the

10:49 council PRESIDENT To find a

10:50 sooner than later. Hopefully

10:51 because we know that there are

10:55 many folks from Cannes is from

10:56 Oklahoma, from other parts of

11:01 the United States. Are now

11:03 essentially refugees in our

11:06 community because they had to

11:07 uproot their entire lives.

11:11 Many times under of

11:15 government, persecution of

11:18 license plate or receiving

11:19 license driver's license,

11:22 removals, cetera, that make it

11:24 impossible for people to make

11:25 a living. And so looking

11:26 forward to more conversation

11:27 on that because the protection

11:30 needs to be done again sooner

11:37 than later. And lastly, want

11:38 to send congratulations to

11:41 Diane Cook's families against

11:42 violent acts. We celebrated

11:45 with them on Saturday. The

11:47 20th anniversary of the Heal

11:48 the Hood of Festival in

11:51 celebration. And this started

11:55 out of an outpouring community

11:56 grief really through mother's

11:57 having children who were hurt

12:03 during the summer of violence

12:06 who continue suffer great

12:08 grievances and lost within our

12:09 communities. And so Diane

12:10 Cook's her folks have always

12:14 provided a safe space in

12:15 community to have that

12:17 consistency. They meet weekly

12:23 and you don't have to suffered

12:25 a law specifically of an

12:28 individual. They are there for

12:30 anyone under any circumstances

12:32 just want to relay that

12:34 message. But we were happy to

12:35 celebrate with them on

12:37 Saturday and it was great to

12:39 see COUNCILMAN In Montbello at

12:40 the Montbello High School as

12:42 Thank you. Council PRESIDENT

12:44 Incue except we have comes

12:47 from Brighton. Thank you.

12:49 Council PRESIDENT For so on

12:51 share. 2 quick things. There

12:52 is still time, if you have not

12:54 turned in your ballot to vote,

12:56 you can still drop your ballot

12:58 off. To add to what

13:00 Councilmember Gilmore stating

13:01 there to anti trends. Builds

13:04 that are on the ballot. We

13:06 need folks to go out ensure

13:10 that we protect our trans

13:12 community. Ballot initiative,

13:13 01:00:09am, ballot initiative

13:15 want. We need to be clear that

13:16 these ballot initiatives goes

13:17 against all families that

13:19 attacks the people that live

13:19 in this city. And we are not

13:22 only a welcoming city. We

13:23 fight for those need our

13:25 support. So supporting our

13:27 Trans Community Re should be

13:30 voting no on those bills

13:31 ensuring that we protect their

13:33 freedoms with that. I want to

13:38 be also we had Pride Fest

13:39 parade this weekend. I want to

13:42 applaud the folks from the

13:43 center this because of

13:46 construction on Colfax. They

13:47 had to move the entire parade

13:50 to 17th Avenue. That is a

13:52 massive undertaking for an

13:53 organization, a nonprofit, a

13:57 small as they are to make a

13:59 switch like that changed not

14:01 only entire but all of the

14:03 security necessary for a

14:04 500,000 folks coming to

14:07 Denver. So did Kim and her

14:08 team at the center and

14:09 everyone else that one,

14:10 Colorado everyone that all

14:13 work together to put on a safe

14:14 and successful off pride

14:15 parade and then the

14:19 festivities along 16th Street.

14:20 You haven't seen if you

14:20 weren't there. You haven't

14:22 seen the pictures. It was. I

14:23 think the fullest. I've seen

14:26 16 street. I've been Denver

14:27 since 87 that I've ever seen.

14:29 And I just thought it was

14:32 remarkable weekend. So

14:33 congratulations to the center

14:37 and to everyone and vote and

14:38 turn your ballots you cannot

14:41 mail those ballots to events.

14:42 That will be happening in

14:44 district 9 one in district 9,

14:46 1, that all being in district

14:47 6 or 7. I'll have your fight

14:49 over where in Wash Park. This

14:50 is out but a district 9 this

14:53 weekend from one to 3 pm is

14:57 the largest JULY 4th parade

15:01 begins at 23rd and Dexter,

15:04 something that's every on for

15:06 4th of JULY. And I want

15:08 encourage folks to come on You

15:10 can walk with my team. My

15:12 office just come out and enjoy

15:14 a really great family

15:15 activity. And then that

15:20 evening on Saturday, JULY 4th,

15:24 I have pleasure and the honor

15:26 to you sit with read what's

15:29 being referred to as a Lincoln

15:31 Portrait before JULY concert

15:34 at Wash Park from 7 to

15:36 08:30pm. It's a composition

15:39 done by Aaron Copeland, Saudi

15:42 sitting in with the the Denver

15:45 Municipal Band and reading

15:46 from composition and encourage

15:49 folks to come out and join the

15:50 festivities at Wash Park this

15:51 Saturday from 7 to 08:30pm.

15:54 Thank you, MADAM PRESIDENT,

15:57 thank Councilmember Luis.

15:58 Yeah, thank you so much. I

16:01 want to take the opportunity

16:03 to congratulate Fire fire

16:03 station 27 for completing

16:07 their pain renovation project,

16:08 which includes a beautiful

16:09 mural. If you have the

16:10 opportunity to see it. I would

16:12 encourage you to completed by

16:16 local artist Philip Munoz is

16:17 tell you the story about how

16:17 fantastic. And you can also

16:19 he arrived at the completion

16:23 of this nero. In addition to

16:24 that is COUNCILWOMAN Stated

16:27 had a wonderful opportunity to

16:27 attend the labor that the

16:32 families against violence and

16:33 their heal the hood of an at

16:34 the Montbello High allow the

16:35 group's mission is sadly more

16:38 relevant than ever today. They

16:39 have been putting this event

16:41 on for 20 years strong and

16:42 it's a really want to

16:43 celebrate them and providing

16:48 resources to our communities

16:49 congratulate them putting

16:51 together another beautiful

16:54 community event. Despite the

16:55 winds that are literally tried

16:55 to blow us all away unhurt to

17:00 folks in our community. It was

17:01 also mentioned I had such a

17:02 wonderful time this weekend at

17:05 the Pride event and barely

17:06 avoided a heat stroke. It was

17:07 quite hot outside, but it was