City Council

Monday, June 2, 2025, 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

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Transcript

0:04 The

0:05 well to your Denver City

0:07 Council.

0:12 Please stand coverage your

0:16 Denver City Council. Kids now.

0:28 for joining us this

0:31 afternoon on Monday, JUNE 2nd,

0:33 tonight's meeting is being

0:35 interpreted interpreted into

0:37 Spanish. Sam Arlen, would you

0:38 please introduce yourself and

0:38 let the viewers know how to

0:39 enable translation on their

0:42 devices?

0:43 Yes course. Thank you for

0:45 having us, everyone. Hello, my

0:48 name is Sam Guzman. And along

0:49 with my colleague Glenn, we

0:50 will be interpreting today's

0:54 meeting into Spanish. Allow me

0:54 one minute. Give the

0:55 instructions in Spanish and

0:59 better access interpretation.

0:59 When the status of those men

1:01 on someone was my goodness and

1:04 collect and in that state and

1:04 the same coming to come to

1:09 put on the and on you Too soon

1:10 to so close retirement. Of is

1:11 put forward was canceled. Tell

1:15 you. When go enough to knock

1:19 you little can be the Pretty

1:20 much. So what use external to

1:23 child in the I'm too soon to

1:24 So that was put in 10 men to

1:29 Stoney Coming up, by a cent

1:29 from the U.S. Kind of the

1:30 nature and you can win that

1:31 the couple the furnace. But

1:34 it's quick check and it's been

1:35 a which is a Scotts. And thank

1:37 you very much

1:41 can them? Welcome to the

1:43 Denver City Council meeting

1:46 Monday, JUNE second 2025.

1:47 Council members please rise as

1:48 you are able and rainy in the

2:02 Pledge of Allegiance

2:10 Council members please join

2:11 COUNCILMAN Ray Lewis is they

2:11 lead us in the Denver City

2:14 Council and now.

2:17 The funerals once again.

2:18 And found that becomes immune

2:23 sorry. The accusation

2:29 interpretations not activated.

2:30 The Denver City Council

2:31 honors and acknowledges that

2:32 the land on which we reside is

2:33 the traditional territory of

2:36 the u Cheyenne and Arapaho

2:39 Peoples. We also recognize the

2:39 48 contemporary tribal nations

2:40 that are historically tied to

2:41 the lands that make up the

2:43 state of Colorado. We honor

2:45 elders past present and future

2:50 and those who have student it.

2:50 Excuse me, this land

2:51 throughout generations. We

2:53 also recognize that government

2:53 academic and cultural

2:55 institutions were founded

2:56 upon.

2:57 continue to an ex

2:59 exclusions and are issues of

3:01 indigenous people made. This

3:02 acknowledgment demonstrate a

3:02 commitment to working to

3:04 dismantle ongoing legacies

3:07 oppression and inequities and

3:08 recognize the current and

3:08 future contributions of

3:09 indigenous communities in

3:13 Denver.

3:15 Thank you. Council woman

3:16 being MADAM Secretary will

3:33 call Watson. Of here. Flynn

3:37 feel more here. Gonzalez

3:39 Gutierrez here, Hinds Cashman

3:45 here. Lewis said from Eric

3:49 Campbell here. So you're here.

3:57 Torres MADAM PRESIDENT, here.

3:59 12 members present. There are

4:01 12 members present council has

4:03 a approval of the minutes. Are

4:04 there corrections to the

4:07 minute it MAY 19th?

4:08 Seeing none the minutes and

4:12 approved. Council

4:13 announcements or their counsel

4:21 announcement afternoon.

4:25 COUNCILMAN Tourist, go

4:26 ahead.

4:26 Thank Is hoping somebody

4:32 would get in before me my info

4:34 money invite folks. We've a

4:35 partnership with youth record.

4:38 One of the really amazing

4:39 nonprofits located in the

4:41 llama Lincoln Park

4:42 neighborhood. And we're

4:42 partnering with for a concert

4:46 series this summer.

4:48 In the beautiful and

4:49 underutilized Lama. Lincoln

4:50 Park amphitheater.

4:52 So if you're not familiar

4:55 behind the Recs center along

4:56 the Osage isn't amphitheater.

4:57 That's almost 100 years old.

5:00 It was built at the time that

5:01 the conservation corps built

5:04 red rocks and it is in that

5:07 same look in that era. And it

5:09 is beautiful. When I came into

5:11 office and before the pandemic

5:12 changed everything I really

5:14 wanted to see activation of

5:14 that space and so were finally

5:17 able to do it in thanks to

5:17 partnership and support from

5:20 the Office of Children's

5:22 Affairs. We're doing a Sunday

5:26 series. I JUNE JULY and AUGUST

5:29 in the evenings headliners and

5:31 youth on record artist

5:32 opening. It's free. It's open

5:35 for anyone in the community to

5:36 come on by. It's from 05:00pm

5:38 to 07:00pm starting this

5:39 coming Sunday. So I hope to

5:41 see folks that are thank you.

5:41 Thank you. Councilmember

5:45 parity.

5:48 Yeah, I have a coffee day

5:49 this Thursday morning town

5:50 Hall collaborative 5.25 Santa

5:53 Fe from 9 to 10:30am. Just

5:54 open forum for anyone who

5:56 Thanks.

5:56 wants come by and talk.

5:59 Thank you, COUNCILMAN. Of

6:00 either days. Thank you,

6:00 council PRESIDENT, I wanted to

6:02 say Happy Pride Month to those

6:04 that celebrate as we enter the

6:05 month of JUNE. I want to

6:07 express my deepest gratitude

6:08 for the many contributions of

6:10 the lgbtqia. Plus individuals

6:14 have made in our community

6:14 this month and every month we

6:17 stand in solidarity with you

6:18 and commit to foster a space

6:19 of inclusive support that's

6:21 welcoming to everyone. I

6:22 wanted to share. Also few

6:22 pride events we have in

6:25 district 7. We have pride on

6:27 Pearl Street on JUNE 14, 1500

6:28 block of South Pearl. We have

6:32 pride in the city JUNE 27th

6:33 from 5 to set actress house.

6:35 We have pride on Colfax. Happy

6:41 hour by chime on JUNE. 11th at

6:42 Champaign Tower for 30 to 6.30

6:43 and then watch Park right on

6:46 the go in Alameda on JUNE 27th

6:47 from 4 to 8 for more

6:51 information head over to the d

6:52 7 Instagram page. Denver is

6:54 like a district on Instagram.

6:55 I also want take a moment to

6:56 thank the Workforce Center for

6:58 their amazing work this last

7:01 week with our job fair.

7:02 They're the turnout was

7:04 fantastic. We was witnessed

7:05 great conversations and I feel

7:06 like it was very meaningful

7:07 for everyone and tend to be

7:11 there. And then this upcoming

7:13 Friday, JUNE 6th Leadership

7:13 veteran, a nonprofit

7:14 supporting veterans across

7:16 Colorado are honor Sergeant

7:18 Hector Flores that Hector

7:21 Flores Park in District 7 as

7:22 part of their ongoing

7:23 commitment to ensure that

7:24 veterans like Sergeant Flores

7:26 are not forgotten. They will

7:27 be unveiling a new installed,

7:28 a plaque commemorating his

7:31 service and heroism. The

7:33 ceremony will include members

7:33 of the veteran community,

7:35 local residents, media and

7:36 most meaningful. Sergeant

7:39 Flores family. This is going

7:40 to be very special events. I

7:43 hope you'll stop by. Lastly, I

7:44 wanted to do a shout out to

7:45 They're looking for volunteers

7:45 for Denver, Parks and Rec.

7:49 come out and lend a hand this

7:50 Saturday, JUNE 7th as they get

7:51 our parks ready for summer

7:54 program. Volunteers are needed

7:55 as one of the 11 different

7:56 locations across Amber to help

7:58 with the general cleanup

8:00 tasks. They MAY include trash

8:01 and debris removal, painting

8:03 weed removal and other tasks

8:04 to keep our trails looking

8:07 great. You can sign up for for

8:08 the sign-up to location. You

8:09 can also get that on 7

8:10 Instagram or on the Denver

8:13 Parks and Rep Thank you.

8:15 Council PRESIDENT, thank next

8:16 up. We have put him Campbell.

8:18 Thank you. MADAM PRESIDENT.

8:21 I just wanted to southeast

8:22 Denver and folks to come to a

8:24 family fun day. We are always

8:29 have our summer event by south

8:32 by southeast southeast Denver.

8:33 And this summer, we're doing

8:33 things a little bit

8:35 differently. We're having a

8:37 number of smaller events in

8:39 our parks connecting

8:41 communities. So we are talking

8:43 all about the heart of

8:44 Southeast Amber, which is

8:48 everyone district 4 and that

8:49 we are really focusing on a

8:50 sense of belonging. And so

8:53 it's where you belong. And the

8:54 family Fun Day is this

8:55 Saturday. It's going to be at

8:58 the Kennedy Sports Complex.

9:00 The soccer complex, right in

9:00 between the soccer complex and

9:05 where the dog park is from one

9:07 to 4. We are going to free

9:08 events there. We will have a

9:10 few city agencies out there

9:10 with tables, the Denver Museum

9:13 of Nature and Science with the

9:16 Curiosity cruiser. The fire

9:19 department and we also have

9:21 from just our different

9:22 non-profit organizations.

9:22 There will be a lot of

9:24 activities for kids and

9:26 families. We will have the

9:28 Kona Ice truck out there with

9:31 us. Little eye side eye sees

9:32 for people while supplies

9:33 last. I've been told to remind

9:35 everybody, but that will be

9:36 something very fine. And then

9:37 we will also have a bubble

9:40 tower out. They're which is

9:42 extremely popular, but that's

9:43 about it. Hope to see you this

9:46 Saturday from one to 4 at

9:47 Kennedy Soccer complex. Thank

9:49 Thank you. Councilmember

9:51 Cashman. Thank you. MADAM

9:53 PRESIDENT, it is difficult to

9:54 follow an announcement about a

9:55 bubble tower, but I will.

9:57 Certainly do my best number

10:02 of us on City Council are

10:06 interested revitalizing the

10:06 registered neighborhood

10:07 organizations system that's

10:10 been in place in Denver since

10:15 1979 to allow those groups too

10:15 are officially interact with

10:17 the city and bring their

10:19 residence more closely

10:21 involved in their own

10:25 governance. And you will see a

10:25 a number of our district teams

10:29 out advance throughout the

10:32 summer talking to people about

10:35 our nose, handing out surveys.

10:36 And if you would like to offer

10:40 up your opinions on what your

10:41 involvement with our noses.

10:43 Dan, and how you think they

10:46 can be improved. You can go

10:49 online now to your city, your

10:52 voice Denver g o v Dot org and

10:54 let us know your opinions. We

10:57 would appreciate it very much.

10:58 Like I say, the system's been

11:01 in place for about 45 years.

11:02 The city is allowed to

11:04 languish given very little

11:07 support to these important

11:08 neighborhood groups. So and to

11:10 get back to this, what you're

11:13 almost interested in the

11:19 bubble Tower. They will be

11:20 tabling. Add COUNCILMAN

11:20 Rivera. Campbell's Fun Day

11:21 this weekend. So you can stop

11:22 by and talk to our team Thank

11:25 you so much.

11:29 Thank Councilmember Luis.

11:30 Yes. So we have a

11:32 proclamation, unfair affirming

11:32 City council's adoption of a

11:34 greener by the 5 policy.

11:34 It's on consent. But I just

11:38 wanted to mention that council

11:39 is adopting this policy for

11:40 internal meetings to provide 9

11:41 animal products that are 2 to

11:46 one ratio to animal products.

11:47 This will help us reduce our

11:48 carbon footprint and

11:49 demonstrate that we're serious

11:50 about treating our climate

11:52 change as an emergency. And so

11:54 I wanted to say thank you to

11:55 COUNCILMAN Cashman and his

11:56 staff and also thank you to my

11:56 staff are moving this forward

11:57 in getting it passed. Thank

12:02 you. Thank you. Councilmember

12:05 this Knicks Thursday. I am

12:09 hosting yoga in the park. So

12:12 next no sight. Next Wednesday,

12:13 JUNE. 11th from 67. Enjoy a

12:16 free yoga session. At counted

12:21 p o at the historic good

12:24 corral 38th and tennis and

12:26 it's free any age so come out.

12:29 And Jamie JUNE, 11th from 6 to

12:30 7 and then I would just like

12:35 to take a moment personal

12:36 privilege colleagues. If we

12:37 can give a warm welcome to our

12:41 new council secretary Alyssa

12:42 just start taking over in a

12:44 couple weeks. She shadowing.

12:44 So please take a moment to

12:48 introduce yourself to her. And

12:50 we are very excited to have

12:51 her. The part of to the

12:52 here and look forward to

12:52 council thank you for being

12:55 working together. And than

12:59 that. Just want mention that

13:00 during roll Call Councilmember

13:04 Watch and was not at roll

13:05 Call, but he is part of the

13:07 meeting. And so COUNCILMAN,

13:09 MADAM Secretary, if you'll

13:10 just make sure to keep calling

13:10 on Councilmember Watson, that

13:13 be great.

13:15 See no comments in the

13:15 queue. There are no

13:18 presentations. There are no

13:19 communications. There's one

13:21 proclamation being led this

13:22 afternoon. Councilmember

13:23 America, Mullen, Cashman me,

13:23 please read Proclamations, 0,

13:35 8, 3, 4, Yes, we

13:37 I don't have to okay,

13:43 proclamation. 25, 0, 8, 3, 4,

13:44 recognizing healthy food for

13:46 Denver's kids. Halfway

13:47 celebration.

13:48 Whereas Denver community

13:50 members came together 7 years

13:51 ago to prioritize the health

13:54 and well-being of our youth

13:56 and whereas in 2018, the

13:57 healthy food for Denver's

14:02 kids. H Fdk ballot initiative

14:03 was passed by Denver voters to

14:05 find healthy food access and

14:06 food based education for

14:09 children and youth. And

14:10 whereas the Denver Department

14:11 of Public Health and

14:13 Environment has administered

14:16 the program since 2019 and

14:18 whereas the funds from the

14:20 sale and use of tax began

14:22 collection on JANUARY. First

14:26 2019 through DECEMBER 31st.

14:26 2028 and must be fully

14:29 distributed by DECEMBER 31st.

14:33 2029 and whereas 2025 marks

14:35 the halfway point of the

14:41 distribution of these funds

14:42 and whereas over 85 million

14:43 dollars has already been

14:44 awarded to over 100

14:48 organizations, including

14:49 nonprofits, schools and city

14:52 agencies to feed and educate

14:53 kids. And whereas healthy food

14:57 for Denver's kids has reached

14:59 over 149,000 families

15:02 providing critical support to

15:04 youth and the households with

15:05 fresh nutritious and

15:06 culturally meaningful food

15:11 resources and whereas more

15:12 than 40 million healthy and

15:14 culturally relevant meals and

15:15 snacks have been served to

15:18 Denver's youth and their

15:22 families through h Fdk funded

15:24 programs and we are as healthy

15:26 food Denver's kids supports

15:28 food, justice.

15:29 Nutritional education,

15:30 youth engagement and

15:32 community-driven solutions to

15:33 hunger and power Denver's

15:35 young people to thrive

15:38 physically mentally and

15:40 academically. And whereas

15:42 programs funded by hfd k have

15:44 been delivered and 33

15:45 different languages reflecting

15:47 the diversity and cultural

15:51 writ richness of our city and

15:53 ensuring inclusive access for

15:57 all communities. And whereas

15:58 the city and county of Denver

15:58 is proud to recognize and

16:01 celebrate the collaborative