City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, good evening, everyone. I'm going to go ahead and call to order the 1,632nd regular meeting of the Thornton City Council. And before I begin, just like to remind everyone in the audience to please turn off or silence all electronic devices. The audience seating area is provided for observing council meetings from a seated position only. Audience members wishing to stand must stand in the aisle along the rear wall opposite the council dais. Also, if there's anyone in the audience who needs assistance in listening to and or participating in the meeting and has not indicated so on the sign-off sheet, you can raise your hand and a staff member will provide assistance. Item two is the Pledge of Allegiance. Would you please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Item three is a moment of silence. Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you. Item four is the land acknowledgement. Council Member Algy, would you please read the land acknowledgement this evening?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. The City of Thornton respectfully acknowledges the land on which we stand is the traditional territory of the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Navajo, Pueblo, Shoshone, and Southern Ute tribes and nations who are the original stewards of this land. We honor the history, culture, and contributions both past and present of these indigenous nations and tribes. We pay respect to their ancestors, elders, and present-day community members and extend our gratitude to the indigenous peoples for their ongoing care and stewardship of the land, water, and resources. We also recognize the lasting impact of colonialism, forced removals, and continued injustices that have affected indigenous communities throughout history and into the present. We also acknowledge the labor of enslaved Africans and their descendants who worked this stolen land for the colonists and who continue to disproportionately face economic oppression, racism, violence, and exploitation. May this acknowledgement serve as a reminder of our responsibility to be mindful and respectful of the land, its history, and the indigenous communities who call Colorado home, and to use it to guide our policies and decision-making for the people of Thornton.

Thank you. Item five is a roll call of the council. Clerk, would you please call the roll of council?

Mayor Coleman? Here. Council Member Acunto?

Here.

Council Member Algi?

Here.

Mayor Putamayela? Here. Council Member Bird?

Here.

Council Member Martinez?

Here.

Council Member Morris? Here. Council Member Russell?

Here.

Council Member Salazar? Here. Core, Ms. President, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item six is approval of the agenda. Are there any staff changes to the agenda this evening?

No, Mayor. Thank you.

Council, are there any changes to the agenda? Hearing none, is there a motion to approve the agenda as presented?

So moved. Second.

Thank you. Approval of the agenda as presented has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Clerk, please pull the council. Council, please cast your votes.

Motion passed unanimously, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item 7 is presentations. Item 7A is a resolution conveying the City Council's gratitude and appreciation to Pete Brazal on his retirement from the City. Council Member Martinez, would you please introduce this one and read it in its entirety?

Yes, I'm introducing a resolution conveying the City Council's gratitude and appreciation to Pete Rizal on his retirement from the City, whereas Pete Rizal has served the City as a regular full-time employee for 19 years in a professional and loyal manner. And whereas Pete began employment on June 3rd, 2002 as a contract project manager and changed to a full-time project manager on June 11th, 2006. And whereas Pete received multiple distinguished service awards over the many years of service to include, but not limited to the design defense litigation team. Flood response team and Eastlake stamp team and whereas Pete received a team distinguished service award in 2018 for support on the crossing point team and whereas Pete received a team distinguished service award in 2019 for his coordination of efforts on the 25 north project team and whereas pete received a team distinguished service award in 2020 for his assistance on the regional transportation district fast tracks implementation team and whereas pete has approached his job in a professional skillful and dedicated manner and with a strong commitment to serve the community and whereas The council wishes to recognize Pete for the contributions he made over the years of service to the city. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the city council of the city of Thornton, Colorado, as follows, that the city council hereby recognizes the commitment, dedication, and loyalty of Pete Brazal and conveys its earnest appreciation and thanks for the many contributions he has made during his 19 years as an employee of the city. And I move for its approval. Second. thank you the motion has been made and seconded to approve the resolution i'll open it for discussion councilmember martinez you have the option to go first as you made the motion uh yeah so you know i met pete and his family a few years ago at one of the events i think one of the lunches at the the Active Adults Center, and it was a pleasure to meet his family and learn about all the work that Pete has done, but I didn't truly understand the scope until I started digging into this resolution. And I would just like to say thank you, Pete, for your service, and in particular, you have Worked on some of the most important projects in the city and some of our biggest infrastructure some of the things that we're most proud of some of the businesses that we've been able to recruit here are a direct result of the work that you've put in through your project management and and contracts management that you've done for the city. And so we're eternally grateful for all the work that you've done. And honestly, it looks like any team that you join was destined to win the Distinguished Service Award. And I think that that's not a coincidence. That is absolutely due to your leadership and your experience that you brought to the team. So thank you. And thank you to his family for all of his support in making that happen. Again, the city is very grateful for all your contributions, and I really hope that you are able to enjoy your retirement and enjoy the time that all the products of your labor here in the city. Thank you, Pete.

Any additional discussion? I'm going to save my comments for here in just a moment. Would you please call the council?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed unanimously, Your Honor.

Thank you. And at this time, I would like to ask Pete and his family, as well as Jason Pierce and Emily Hunt, to join me in front of the dais. Well, I want to say on behalf of the city and the city council, thank you so much for your contribution to the city. I think you've touched almost every single significant project in the city at some point, and it is truly incredible the amount of work that you have done for all of this community, and we so much appreciate and value you. 19 years as a full-time employee, almost 24 years in service to the city. Let's give him a round of applause. I'm going to let Jason and Emily and then you, Pete, say a few words.

I want to congratulate you, Pete, on a tremendous career. Pete's been a cornerstone of the infrastructure project management team for over two decades. He's really known for his transportation work, but I've had the pleasure of working with Pete on a couple of water projects that he's come in, especially as we've had some other retirements. He helped us out with a couple of our gravel pit reservoirs along the South Platte. And I also just want to say around the office, Pete is known for his generosity, his just good humor. He's a tremendous mentor to all the project managers on the team. He's also very gracious with his time with the other staff, the water resources staff, the engineering staff. And we're really going to miss him. We're going to miss his, like I said, his good humor and his dependability. And I hope you are tremendously proud of all the contributions that you've made to the city. We're really grateful. So congratulations on your well-earned retirement.

Pete. We're going to miss you. So Pete and I started within months of each other in 2002, both as contract employees. I have to say, our relationship got off on a great foot. We just met and we saw eye to eye. I was younger. He was, in my career, he was more established. But I'd have to say, just doing a mental head count, you've probably managed almost 100 capital projects, which is unbelievable, probably more. And I'll even put some context to that, some of the major projects. One of the projects that I first remember you managing was the Holly Street Riverdale roadway project, which A very contentious project. Pete actually had to go to court and testify in front of this, you know, for the city to gain access to the property to build that project. So it was a huge undertaking. The Sack Creek stormwater sewer.

Recording in progress.

Sorry. 102-inch diameter pipeline. You could ride a bike through it. It was huge. And Pete managed that amazingly. Huge project for the city. Things like Washington Street widening north of 144th, York Street Bridge recently got completed, Justice Center improvements, huge water lines, sewer lines. So he's done it all. Pete's been there and done almost every type of capital project. It's been a huge impact on Thornton. It's allowed the city to grow. It's allowed the city to expand with the pace of growth that we've experienced. over the last 20 or so years. But what I think is most important is that the city is safer because of the projects that you've managed, not only from a transportation perspective, but from residents, from flooding, and the likes of that, where we don't always see it in infrastructure, When you don't hear about it, when no one calls, it means we've done our job. And Pete's truly done his job. So Pete, when you walk away today and you look back on your career, you should be extremely proud of everything that you've accomplished. You've been a great mentor. You've been a good friend. And thank you for everything you've done for infrastructure and the city.

I'd like to start off with the mayor, council. Thank you very much for this resolution and award. Thank you. As Jason said, my first project with the city was the one that I went to court on. And boy, I was wondering, what am I in for? But that turned out all right, and it's been great working for the city and the residents of the city of Thornton. It's been wonderful. I feel like I was blessed to work for the city of Thornton. I enjoy working with the different departments in the city. Every one of them have been great. It's been wonderful. I'm going to miss working for the city, and thank you very much.

A SMALL TOKEN, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO COME UP AND TAKE PICTURES. COUNCIL, IF YOU WOULD LIKE SOME PICTURES.

one.

I am always so impressed by the longevity of our staff and how committed they are to our entire community. So thank you again, Pete, for everything. Item 7B is a resolution declaring June 2026 as LGBTQIA plus Pride Month in the city of Thornton, Colorado. Council Member Alge, would you please introduce this item and read it in its entirety?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I would like to introduce a resolution this evening declaring June 2026 as LGBTQIA plus Pride Month in the City of Thornton, Colorado. Whereas City Council cherishes the value and dignity of each person and appreciates the importance of equity and freedom, and whereas all are welcome in the City of Thornton to live, work, and play, and every family in any shape deserves a place to call home where they are safe, happy, and supported by friends and neighbors, and whereas city council denounces prejudice and unfair discrimination based on age, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical attributes as an affront to our fundamental principles, and whereas Pride Month began in June of 1969, which was the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City, where New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn a gay club located in Grange Village in New York City, and sparked a riot, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement known as the Stonewall Riots that later served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. And whereas it is imperative that people in our community, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, feel valued, safe, empowered, and supported by their peers and community leaders. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Thornton, Colorado, as follows. June 2026 is hereby declared as LGBTQIA plus Pride Month in the City of Thornton. The Intersex Inclusion Progress Pride Flag will be flown within the city for the entire month of June, and all citizens are encouraged to commit to continuing to build a community that promotes diversity, love, and respect for all people, and I recommend its approval. I move for its approval. Excuse me.

Second.

Thank you. It's been moved and seconded to approve the resolution. I'll open it for discussion. Council Member Alge, you have the option to go first as you made the motion.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. And once again, I am honored to introduce this resolution tonight. I'm still working on the end part, obviously. It's not recommended to move. But anyway, I'm a strong LGBTQ ally, and I do – and I was also part of the – neighbors back five years ago that rallied here in front of City Hall to ask the city to fly the pride flag over our city. There were quite a few folks that participated in that that ended up They're up here right now or have been up here since then. So it was a really historic moment for our city, and it affirmed why I moved here. You know, we were able to get past, and... here we are and now we have a great pride festival and as a past member of the attachment arts board i was instrumental in helping getting our annual pride festival going and that's becoming more successful every single year so it is my commitment to all of you my neighbors that thornton will continue to be a welcoming place for all to live and that's all i have thank you councilmember martinez

You know, this pride flag, and I've mentioned this in previous comments every year since I've been on council, but the symbology and the symbolism behind the flag are very important. It's especially important that a city like the city of Thornton and the communities that we live in get behind that. It's a signal to our community that we are committed to an accepting and tolerant environment and community, and that we're willing to defend and stand up for our neighbors who are persecuted for their sexual orientation and who they are. And those types of things are very important to this community. It's important to the allies who support them. And it means a lot. It provides a sense of safety and security for those And as my colleague, Council Member Alge, has stated that these were hard-fought victories. The flag being flown, the pride event that we have, and this simple resolution that we have was not something that was just handed to us. It was something that the supporters had to fight for. And just because that fight happened once doesn't mean that we are safe and that we are not at risk of having that taken away and having the people, you know, go back to feeling like they don't have a community that supports them and that they can't live safely in their own community without fear. It means a lot. So I just want to remind everybody that we have to stay vigilant for those that support this and that I, like Councilmember Aligee just said, am committed to continuing that fight when it needs to happen. Standing up for those who need help and need allies on their side. I'll always be there to do that and so I just don't want I don't want to Make this resolution go without acknowledging the pathway to get here the challenges that were overcome and the commitment and resolute Attitude that we need to have in order to keep this so Thank You councilmember algae for reading that and thank you for all who support this any additional discussion

I'll just say thank you to my fellow colleagues for their comments. Very much appreciate it. I think one of the biggest statements in here is that everyone needs to feel valued, safe, empowered, and supported by their peers and community leaders. And I think that's something that the City of Thornton is really good at making sure that we do that. And we're asking all of our community members to join in that. I'll use the word fight, as you did, Council Member Martinez. Would you please pull the council?

Please cast your votes. Motion passed unanimously, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item eight is audience participation. This is a time for members of the community to speak on any item that is not on the agenda as a public hearing or going to be on a public hearing in the future. Pursuant to City Council's rules of order and procedure, speaking time is limited to three minutes per person with a one-hour limit on this segment of the agenda. In-person speakers will be heard first, followed by remote speakers registered before the end of the in-person comment segment. Residents of the City, as indicated on the sign-up sheet, will be given preference in the order heard in each segment. The podium located on the dais of the Council Chambers must be used to offer public comment during audience participation or public hearing sections of the meeting agenda. In the event of physical inability or preference, the public may comment by microphone while seated in the audience seating area. At no time shall public comment be made while moving through the chambers. Ms. Long, is there anyone who signed up to speak under audience participation?

Yes, Your Honor. We have 10 individuals in person, and no one has signed up online.

Thank you. So in just a minute, again, each speaker will be given up to three minutes to speak, and this segment of the agenda is limited to one hour. Make sure that you watch the light on the podium. When it turns yellow when you hear a single beep, you'll need to wrap up your comments. When it turns red and you hear multiple beeps, your time is up, and I'll have to interrupt you as your three minutes are over. When you are called, those in person, please come to the podium. Ms. Long, would you please call the first person?

Tom Molander, Ward 1.

It's what happens when you show up early.

Yeah.

Madam Mayor, council people, staff, I have a question for you. Something for food for thought. Why would the city of Thornton replace a corner only to have it demolished three months later? I'm talking about the Hoffman project. One of the corners on Elm was replaced three months ago. I thought, cool, because the other one looked like they were going to do it too, but they didn't. And I'm sitting there going, okay, maybe they're not going to touch this side. But no, they tore the whole thing out. They just put it in. I think that cost about $1,000, maybe more. I don't know how much it cost to replace a corner with cement and everything else. only to have it torn down three months later. Something ain't right about this. I don't know how the project managers do their stuff, how the stuff's funded and any of that, but maybe if you look into the future before they redo stuff and they see that this other project has come along, they could have skipped that corner and saved the city some money. That's all I have to say, and I didn't expect to go first, but I'm glad it's over with. Have a good one, folks.

Thank you. If we have a staff member in the audience that could chat with Mr. Mullender, that'd be great. And you have one right over there, Tom, that's wanting to talk with you. Would you please call the next person?

Chris Cook, Ward 4.

Hi, my name is Chris Cook, a member of Ward 4, and I'm here again to discuss flock cameras, LPRs in general, and police surveillance. During the last council meeting, I spoke about the 15 different news stories from across our country where police officers using LPRs, mostly flock cameras, to incorporate, to improperly keep tabs on their current or ex-romantic partners. or with other women who have caught their eye. Tonight, I want to highlight another story, this time involving a Lakewood, Colorado police officer who searched state and national crime databases for information on one of the women he was sleeping with, as well as information about her ex-husband and family members. I've emailed links to this news story to our city council. These details came to light after an internal affairs investigation opened when this officer responded to a 911 call on July 24, 2025. The caller recognized this officer as the same one who tried to sleep with her in a different incident on July 8. At this encounter, the officer arrested the caller while she is intoxicated, and he supposedly propositioned her for sex. During this arrest, both the woman and the officer sat in the back of the patrol car for 25 minutes while his body camera was muted. The Denver Post reported the following. He slept with one too many women while on duty. He told investigators, including women he arrested, pulled over for traffic stops or who were witnesses. He carried out affairs in his patrol car, at a motel, or at their homes while he was on duty. This man is a serial offender who preyed upon vulnerable women while on the job. And it took the courage of one brave woman to speak out against a person of authority who holds a badge. It was this courage that initiated an internal affairs investigation. And it was through this investigation that was the only way that Lakewood PD discovered what he was doing. I've been asking myself, what if this happened in Thornton? Do we have the right audits in place to flag suspicious activities such as this? Or would we have to wait for one of our own residents to have the courage to speak out against an abusive officer who uses Flock, police databases, or other resources to keep tabs on his victims? These stories being brought forth are not anomalies, but are part of a systemic pattern of behavior being seen across our country. Members from different police departments abuse the powers they have been given to the detriment of their victims. City Council members, what do we have in place in Thornton to prevent a situation like this from happening within our community? Who is watching the watchers in Thornton? Thank you all for your time.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Luz Pinado, 4210 East 100th Avenue, who will be assisted by a language interpreter. As they come down to the podium, I call out to our language interpreter provider.

Welcome to Language Line Solutions. Please enter your six-digit client ID. For Spanish, press one for author.

Thank you for calling Language Line Solutions. This is Juan. ID 4046 and 05. I'll be Spanish interpreter today. I'm proud to serve you. This call may be monitored for training and quality assurance purposes.

Hi, this is Kristen Long. I'm the city clerk for the city of Thornton and we're currently in a city council meeting. We have an individual who would like to provide public comment to the council at the conclusion of their comments. There may be a response or instructions provided to the individual from council. Please pause the speaker as needed to provide accurate interpretation. And when you're ready, please introduce yourself to the individual and proceed.

Okay, thank you. Hello, Cerezo. Interprete en esta llamada. Esta llamada puede ser monitoreada con fines de calidad o capacitación. Es un orgullo servirle. Está bien. Thank you.

So I'm here like in other occasions to make a claim. I come here for the same thing for two weeks now. You already know me.

And I haven't heard what I'm requesting.

And I haven't heard what I'm requesting. The Torn Department celebrates its achievements.

claiming to enforce the law when it's not true. I've been reporting a series of violation incidents for two years now and they haven't done anything.

Es una serie de infracciones a los códigos de la ciudad.

It's a series of violations to the city codes.

Poniendo como pretexto que vivo en una propiedad privada.

using as a pretext to live on a private property.

Cuando la ley de vivienda de casas móviles y lotes de Colorado.

When the Colorado Mobile Home and Land Housing Act.

Indica que debemos de cumplir tanto dueños como dueño como arrendatario a cumplir la ley del estatal, federal y local.

It indicates that both owners and tenants must comply with state, federal, and local laws.

Tengo una carta aquí de usted, señora, señora John Kuhlman, que en agosto 20 del 2025 me mandó que se iba a llevar a cabo y no habíamos visto reflejos.

And I have a letter from here from Johnny Goldman that you sent me in August 20th, 2025, stating that it was going to take place and we haven't seen any results.

I have the letter as proof with your signature. No fuera la clase proletariada que entonces sí estuvieran sobre, le hicieran cumplir la ley. No sé si tienen compromisos personales con los negocios, porque para lo que se presta es estas intenciones.

Ah, perdón, señorita, ¿me puede repetir una vez más? Discúlpame.

No fuera la clase proletariada, entonces sí harían cumplir la ley. No sé si tienen intereses personales como se refleja con sus acciones.

If it weren't the proletariat classes, they wouldn't enforce the law. I don't know if they have personal interests as reflected in the actions.

Ya les dije que les puedo ganar una copia de las leyes donde aquí dice cuando ustedes están diciendo lo contrario de la ley de vivienda.

I already told you that I can give you a copy of the laws where it says here that you are saying the opposite of the housing law.

Y aquí voy a estar en cada sesión, porque si ustedes no tienen pena cuando ustedes dependen de los contribuyentes, porque ustedes vienen y hacen un juramento aquí delante de la bandera, cada sesión, y no hacen cumplir la ley. Entonces, ¿cuál es el, yo digo, ¿cuál es, en qué forma, para que un juramento, cuando no están haciendo su trabajo, que prometen hacerlo?

And I'm going to be here every session because if you have no shame when you depend on the taxpayers, because you come here and take an oath before the flag, sorry, at every session and you don't enforce the law. So what's the point of taking an oath when you're not doing the job you promised to do?

Disculpamele si la señalo usted porque usted es la que representa todo Thornton. Ya no voy a señalar ningún departamento. Lo siento.

Excuse me if I'm referring to you, ma'am, because you represent all of Tartan. And I'm not going to point out any department anymore. I'm sorry.

Gracias.

Thank you.

Thank you. I think there might be some confusion over state law versus city law, so there might be some opportunity there for clarification if staff could follow up. Would you please call the next person?

Tom Lampo, no address provided.

All right, tonight I'll continue speaking about slavery. In 2020, Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia stated before the Senate, the United States didn't inherit slavery from anybody, we created it. He makes reference to 1619 when the first slave ships came to Virginia shores. So according to Senator Kaine, America invented slavery in 1619. He's only a few thousand years wrong and willing to only blame one race for creating slavery. Sounds a lot like your dishonest statement about the land of the United States. He and you and those who believe your statement want to whitewash slavery and purposely avoid truths. Your dishonesty doesn't serve anybody but yourselves. Your and his K-12 through educations do not serve you or him well. He's also a Harvard-educated attorney. That doesn't say much about attorneys or Harvard. I'm Tom Lampa, and I oppose your hateful statement concerning the land of the United States of America. I hope all in Thornton are well. To further prove my point concerning K-12 education, Professor Duke Pesta gave incoming college freshmen a quiz on basic facts of American history. He did this for 11 years and found students' overwhelming belief was that slavery began in the United States and was almost exclusively an American phenomenon. Again, we point to your and those incoming freshmen's K-12 education. From 1230 to 1670, the Malay Empire engaged in trading slaves. Slaves were one of the many commodities they traded. From 1430 to 1591, the Songhai Empire enslaved individuals for agricultural and military needs and later entered the slave trade. The Kingdom of Congo existed from around 1390, engaged in slavery by taking captives from defeated tribes during wars. The Kingdom of Dahomey had the Dahomey female warriors. They led raids on neighboring villages, taking captives for slaves or sold slaves to European traders. Between the 11th and 19th centuries, there was the kingdom of Zimbabwe that participated in slavery and in trading slaves. In Ethiopia, the ancient Ascumite Empire, the practice of slavery existed for centuries dating back to the 8th century B.C. You, your K-12 education, and for now, Tim Kaine, have it all wrong. Slavery was not invented in America or by Europeans. Unfortunately, it's one practice all societies seem to have in common. Please remove your white bashing hateful statement concerning the land of America. I'll continue in a few weeks. Enjoy your night and your choice to hate white people. Have a nice night.

Would you please call the next person?

Dale Scholes, 12482 Forest Drive.

Good evening, Madam Mayor and city council members. I'm here at Dale Schools Active Adult Board, Ward 3. I'd like to address the upcoming vote for the proposed change in the e-bike code. First, I'd like to say you've come up with a great super team to put this all together in such a timely fashion. I really appreciate that. And it must have taken a lot of work, deep research, and cooperation between all the departments. Thank you all, city management and staff members, for your hard work. I think this is an excellent proposal that they brought to us. It's helping bringing access to our bike paths and trails and making it safe for everyone. So I urge you all for a positive vote on this proposal and thank you very much.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person? Darlene Ogwin, no address provided.

Hello, I'm Darlene Ogwin. um right now and lately well a lot of the time for a long time i've been a proud resident of thornton and lately it's really hit me um it first started when i went to the merrill awards and that was just phenomenal for students in the area and um We had a guest speaker who was Officer Ariana, who is just outstanding. Students are still talking about it. I'm really impressed with that. I'm very proud. I'm thankful for all of you for voting for the funds. And I meant to go after them because It's their presentation, but just wanted to thank you for the funds for pathways future center school. It's very helpful You'll hear more about that We had a pre-graduation Celebration while students come and pick up it's like an open house when students come and pick up their diplomas like to thank councilmember Salazar for attending that and Officer Ariana, Officer Husk, and they had Captain, I want to say Mullins, but I think I have that incorrect. He was with them also. The interaction with students throughout the building was just phenomenal. It was just wonderful for everybody involved. It really helps young people to know that to get involved really helps, and it's just really exciting, and I'm really proud of Thornton, so thank you for that. I also want to thank you and piggyback on your comments I'm really, really impressed. I was really unhappy with what I was hearing about what might happen with e-bike usage. And the result is just best for everybody, safe for everybody. I don't have to sell my e-bike. Thank you. And because I'm not riding up Washington. So thank you for that. And the next thing is not a complaint. I'm requesting information. It is about a Catholic church that's being built up north. I think it's Decatur and Holly. I know my sister is a member of this church, and there are several people who ask me because I know I'm involved. They want to know, and I'd like to know... I know that they've had, from what I've heard, they've had permits to move dirt, put in pipes, and the infrastructure underground, but it's been nine years. So if I could talk to somebody and get some information, again, it's not a complaint, just like what can I tell people? If you can just have someone talk to me and let me know what's going on there, that would be appreciative. Thank you.

Can we have a staff member reach out? Would you please call the next person?

Vivian Mendez, no address provided.

Good evening, everyone. I'm excited to share the impact of our graduation gift project and the incredible support we've received from our community. Our original goal was to provide graduation gifts for 30 students. Thanks to the generosity of our community partners, we were able to surprise 40 graduating students, 20 males and 20 female students, with a graduation gift celebrating their hard work and accomplishments. In addition, three more students received gifts recognizing their achievements such an excellent attendance. This project would have not been possible without the support of 32 community partners who came together to invest in our students and celebrate their success. I especially want to say, want to recognize the City of Thornton for being one of those valued partners and for supporting opportunities that make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students. Each student received a graduation gift bag filled with practical and celebratory items including hygiene supplies, snacks, and a booklet with gift cards and experiences such as meals, activities, treats, and grocery or gas cards. In addition, every student also received a meal kit from Food for Hope with the ingredients and a recipe to prepare a home meal. What made this experience even more special was that it was a complete surprise. Students had no idea they had been nominated to receive a graduation gift. When they picked up their cap and gown, they found a congrats grad sticker attached and were told that there was a surprise waiting for them. Our atrium space, normally used as a calming area for students, was transformed into a celebration room with graduation decorations, music, meal kits, community partner recognitions, and a table filled with graduation bags. Watching our students walk into that room and realize their community was celebrating them was truly unforgettable. One student shared, thank you to Pathways Future Center along with the community partners who sponsored all my gifts. I am greatly appreciative for them and will make the most of them. Another student simply said it was cute and thoughtful while another said thank you for making my graduation feel very special. Those reactions reminded us that this project was about more than gifts. It was about reminding students that are seen, valued, supported, and celebrated by an entire community. We're also excited to continue building on this work. We're currently working on additional projects to support students that cannot afford their cap and gown, as well as creating a special celebration for our December graduation. Thank you again to the City of Thornton, our community partners, partners, and everyone who helped us make this possible for our students. Thank you. Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Anastasia Dixon, no address provided.

Good evening. My name is Anastasia Dixon, and I'm a recent graduate from Pathways. I received a graduation gift completely by surprise, and it honestly meant a lot to me. Ever since I came to Pathways, they have been very helpful, very giving. They kept me very much motivated to go to school. I've been to three other high schools, including one that was online before Pathways. And Pathways has honestly been the best. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone if I possibly could. The staff there is great. Jerry and Viv, I would consider them like my best friends if I could. I have dealt with quite a bit of not only health issues, but mental health issues as well. And they have always been just a phone call away or email away. And like I said, to receive an amazing surprise after everything that they have given me already, it meant a lot to me. And it really felt good. And I've really felt cared about a lot. And I want to appreciate and thank you guys as well for that as well. Thank you.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Joseph Hannah. No address provided.

All right. Call the next one.

Kathleen Koster Linsky. No address provided.

Hello, my name is Kathleen. Um, I graduated a few days ago from pathways, which. This past few months, I honestly did not think I would have been able to. Um, I have a little bit written down. Receiving the graduation gift meant so much to me. This past few months, like I said, have been highly chaotic and most would say pretty traumatizing. I have no support system and have been very alone as well as becoming a single teen mom. On top of two jobs and trying to get away from many toxic environments. I barely have time for myself to even think. The jobs that I have barely paid for food or to even get there and back. So opening that gift was one, the only gift that I received. It made my heart way more whole knowing that I did and do have, huge support system sorry a huge support system and many people by my side willing to help and help me be better for both me and my beautiful baby boy thank you thank you I believe that was the last person signed up is there anyone the audience that wanted to speak but didn't know you needed to sign up if so you can come to the podium now

All right, we will move on to item nine, which is council comments and communications. I think I'll start with word four tonight. Council Member Russell.

Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I wanted to share a few highlights over the past couple of weeks that I've engaged in with our community. So first, I had the opportunity to attend our Veterans Day planning committee meeting where we continued making great progress on this year's Veterans Day event. I appreciate the dedication from our staff, volunteers, veteran organizations, and community members who are already working hard to make this year's celebration meaningful and impactful for those who have served our country. I also attended the ground-breaking ceremony for Thornton High School. It's exciting to see the continued investment in education and opportunities for our students and families. This project represents growth, innovation, and a strong future for our community. Another exciting milestone was attending Target's ribbon-cutting for their new food distribution center. This investment brings jobs, economic growth, expanded business opportunities to Thornton, and we're proud to welcome the new operation in our city. I was also honored to attend the Pathways Future Forward graduation celebration, which we've heard from this evening. So congratulations to all the graduates on this important achievement. Their hard work, perseverance, and commitment to their future is inspiring, and I wish them continued success in the next chapter of their journey. It's been one of my honors to be able to engage and participate with this school in various ways, but attending the graduation and just seeing how meaningful it is, You know, it's many years past since my graduation and you kind of forget the excitement and joy that that day brings. So I was very honored to be able to be there for you guys in support, and very grateful that the community, the other council members, and everybody got behind you on the fundraising effort for those graduation gifts. The testimony tonight really shows how meaningful that is, and I promise I will continue to be engaged with every class moving forward. So thank you for coming in, sharing your stories, your experience, and again, congratulations. Lastly, thank you to everyone who participated in the Ward 4 community meeting. These conversations are always valuable opportunities to hear directly from our residents. Tom and I shared probably about 15-20 minutes of conversation that evening, but I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet with residents in an informal environment where we could talk about anything. And it doesn't even have to be the city, but engaging with your local electeds I think is very important. Got to see a few others that were there as well, but definitely appreciate you coming out, discussing what your neighborhood priorities are, and continuing to work together to make our community stronger. So thank you.

Council Member Acunto?

Thank you, Mayor. I'd just like to echo my colleague. Congratulations on graduating. It's a very exciting time in your life, and just keep that momentum moving forward. Just going to briefly touch on one of the comments just with the flock cameras. There are multiple safeguards and audit systems and oversight measures in place to help ensure law enforcement databases and technology, including flock systems, are used for legitimate public safety purposes and within the state and federal law. Access to these systems is tracked, searchable, and subject to review. At the same time, no organization can eliminate the possibility of individual misconduct. Human beings are imperfect, and when someone violates policy or abuses their authority, they should be held accountable. In this case, the department's internal systems and investigation process ultimately identified the misconduct resulted in accountability for the officer involved. As technology involves, departments must continue to strengthen audit supervision and training and accountability to maintain trust and prevent misuse. Misconduct can occur Misconduct can occur in any profession, whether it's law enforcement, nursing, education, or others. When it does, the focus should be on holding the individual accountable for the actions, not eliminating the tool and the technology that professionals rely on every single day. That's all I have. Thank you.

Council Member Byrd?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. First of all, I want to say thank you for all those that came out Monday for Memorial Day. Council Member Morris and I had put together a coffee with the community, and we had a pretty good turnout. We got to hear some great stories about some of our Thornton residents who served in the military and unfortunately passed away during that time period. It was a good event, and I had some great conversations around those areas. Outside of that, I am going third, I guess, at this point. Congratulations on graduation. You have a bright future and stuff that's going to be ahead of you, and your path is going to be whatever you decide to kind of push forward through and kind of go with. Don't let the constraints of anything you've been through in your past hold you back. The only thing that's holding you back is yourself, so just keep plowing forward and keep doing what you need to do. And that's all I have. Thank you.

Councilmember Alge?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. First, I want to mention that one of Thornton's amazing citizens is dealing with a cancer battle, Sandra Wolf, who's obviously, you know, she always comes to council, and she's, you know, one of the OGs, but she's definitely a fighter, and I know she's going to get through this, and my birth family has a history of cancer as well, so... We are here for you, Sandra, and you're going to get through this. Pathways, congratulations, and it is an honor to be able to support you. And Darlene, thank you for your work specifically, because we've known each other for a few years, and you are definitely one of Thornton's best, for sure. Your love of community is unparalleled. Your love of our students also is unparalleled. And thank you for your kind words tonight to me before we start our meeting as well. and back at you, because you are absolutely amazing. And it's also a reminder for me that there's always room for improvement, and every single day is a learning experience for me up here as your council member. And I will always work hard to make Thornton a better place every single day. Okay, now we're gonna get back to the regular comments here. So it's been a busy two weeks. I will start with the inaugural walk in the wards at Grange Hall Creek Park in Ward 2. Both Mayor Pro Temayala and I hosted along with Thornton Parks and Rec, Chris and team, thank you for the amazing work that y'all did. And also thank Tom Yum's Food Truck for participating. We had around 25 Ward 2 neighbors join us. Grange Hall Creek Park has many new features. Basketball, half court, new playground, corn hole, Last but certainly not least, Thornton's newest pickleball court. For the moment, I am out of the doghouse with both Mayor Kuhlman and my predecessor, Councilmember Sangren, I mentioned for the moment. I will continue to advocate for more pickleball courts in our city. I also want to especially thank my colleagues from Ward 1, Councilmembers Martinez and Salazar, for joining us. I attended the May Chamber Connect at Satire Brewing, hosted by both the Thornton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Office of Economic Development. I was joined by Councilmembers Salazar and Morris. It was a packed house and, as always, excellent work by our amazing staff and the Chamber. I visited North Glen for the annual food truck carnival. One of my favorite festivals outside of Thornton, it was a perfect evening with lots of neighbors having a great time. I decided to try out the North Glen PD DUI goggles. Special thanks to my friend, North Glen City Manager Heather Geyer, for shooting a video of me unbeknownst to me at the time, but I'm very grateful she did it. Trying to perform and pass the test, obviously I didn't. And when I posted the video on my official Facebook page, it went viral, had over 10,000 views. So I have never had a DUI or OVI in my life, though in my younger day I came close to doing it, and luckily I didn't. And I have absolutely no intentions of ever receiving one. So I will not specifically single out anyone, but as elected officials, we have a moral responsibility as leaders to do the right thing and think of others over ourselves. Use ride share if you are too drunk or high to drive. The financial burden goes up to $30,000. But if you injure or kill an innocent person, well, obviously, the price is way more than that, not to mention prison time. Last week, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Thornton High School. I thank Adams 12 neighbors for passing the levy to make this a reality. This will ensure both the state of the art and most importantly, a safe building for future Thornton High School students. And there were many elected officials that attended. Mayor Coleman spoke, obviously, and also Councilmembers Martinez, Salazar, and Russell. The AMPS 12 School Board was there, including State Representative Lloyd Goldstein, and also North Glen Mayor Pro Tem Shan Lukman-Hiramosa, and Ward 3 Councilmember Rich Kondo were there as well. I thank all of them for being there to join us in this historic occasion for our city and for AMPS 12. I thank all the neighbors in AMPS 12 that voted for the levy to make this a reality. I attended the ceremony at the Adams County Veterans Memorial to unveil a 48-star flag which flew over the USS Colorado during World War II. This flag will be on permanent display at the Adams County Government Center in Brighton. I was joined by my fellow elected officials, Brighton Mayor Greg Mills, Adams County Commissioners Julie Duran-Molica and Lynn Baca, State Senator Kyle Molica, and State Representative Kenny Nguyen. And yesterday, I attended the Annual Commerce City Memorial Day Parade along with Councilmember Salazar. Many elected officials and candidates were in attendance. Cherish, thank you again for the ride back to my car. Greatly appreciated and I owe you one for that. I am continuing my conversations with neighbors with specifics to flock and also other topics. I'll be meeting Chief Baird for lunch on Thursday to discuss many things that we can do to have our police department work even better with our city and our neighbors. I'm also looking forward to participating in next week's celebrations of our city's 70th anniversary. I'll be attending all three of the celebrations at the Act of Adults Center, and I'll be at Thornton Fest on Saturday afternoon. And with that, I'll wrap up, and that's all I have. And I hope everyone had an amazing Memorial Day weekend, and it was an honor, as always, to honor our fallen. That's it.

Council Member Salazar? Thank you, Darlene and Tom, for making your voice heard at the dais and helping us shape a better future for everyone. And congratulations to all the Pathways students, and I just want to say, dream big, lead with courage, and always remember that your community believes in your potential. Thank you. Council Member Martinez.

Good evening, neighbors and members of our Thornton community. Many of us are here tonight with heavy hearts. Over the last few months, our community has been shaken by profound, unspeakable tragedies right here in our own neighborhoods. In March, we lost a cherished neighbor in her own home on Downing Street to an act of fatal domestic violence, a loss that was compounded days later by the suspect's suicide. And last month, one of my friends was murdered by her own son in her home. And just days ago, on May 22nd, a horrific shooting on Harrison Street stole the lives of an entire family, including a young juvenile, before the perpetrator took his own life. To the families, the loved ones, the neighbors who are carrying the weight of this immense grief, Thornton stands with you. We mourn with you. When these tragedies happen, it is natural to feel a mix of sorrow, anger, and confusion. But as one of your leaders, I refuse to let us look away. We must call this crisis what it is. This is not a series of isolated private family matters. This is intimate partner violence, and it is a matter of critical public safety and public health. Our victim advocates and law enforcement partners, they've always said that we know abuse thrives in isolation. Perpetrators often use coercive control to cut survivors off from their support networks, making it incredibly dangerous and difficult to find a path out. When a crisis escalates to this level, we're looking at a critical failure of systems to catch the lethality risk before it turns fatal. But tonight, I want to talk about how we change those systems. I want to talk about how we move from mourning tragedies to actively preventing them. Later this year, the Colorado 17th Judicial District, in partnership with District Attorney Brian Mason, community advocates, and local law enforcement, will officially open the doors to the new Adams and Broomfield Family Justice Center. This will be located nearby at Adams County Human Services Center in Westminster. This center is going to fundamentally change how we protect survivors here in Adams County. Right now, a survivor seeking safety has to navigate a fragmented maze. They have to go to one place for a protection order, another for housing, a third for trauma counseling, and somewhere else entirely for childcare or victim advocacy. Every single stop requires them to retell their trauma, and every stop creates a gap where a dangerous escalation can happen. The Family Justice Center eliminates that maze by providing a one-stop wraparound model. Under one single roof, a survivor can access independent victim advocates and legal support, safe housing navigation, trauma-informed counseling, multidisciplinary safety planning, and more. This is not just a standard administrative change. This is a proven lifesaver. The Families Justice Center framework is a nationally recognized best practice. Data from communities around the country shows that when a city implements a Family Justice Center, intimate partner homicides drop significantly, often by upwards of 50%. By placing all resources under one roof, we dramatically lower the barriers to finding help, lowering the lethality risk before a situation reaches a flashpoint. Critically, the center will operate under a philosophy of autonomy, your choice, your path. Survivors do not have to report to law enforcement to get help from this center. They are seen, they are valued, and they're the ones who decide what safety looks like for them. To everyone in Thornton listening tonight, you are not alone, and you do not have to navigate this in secret. We are building a stronger safety net, but until those doors open, our local resources are active now. I want to express my gratitude to all who have helped make the Family Justice Center possible. And this is just the beginning. We are going to see the Family Justice Center grow and help more people over the years. This is going to take continued support from our communities, and I, as a council member, will always advocate for Thornton to be a leader when it comes to supporting our Family Justice Center. And if you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, or if you are worried about a neighbor, please use the lifelines available to us today. Thank you, and let us continue to watch out for one another.

Thank you. A couple updates from me this evening. The city is currently advertising for the Thornton Active Adult Board for Wards 2 or 3. The deadline to apply is June 9th at 5 p.m. And the Thornton Arts, Sciences, and Humanities Council Board of Directors for Ward 2. And the deadline to apply for that is June 15th at 5 p.m. And we are advertising for the Building Code Advisory Board for Ward 1 and Election Commission for Ward 2. And the deadline for these is June 26th at 5 p.m. Lots of things going on over the past couple of weeks. I attended and spoke at the Carter School pre-kindergarten graduation, and seeing the cuteness in the little tiny cap and gowns was amazing. Probably some of my favorite events that I get to go to. We also welcomed six new firefighters that graduated from the North Area Fire Academy. It was an incredible ceremony. They do such a great job of honoring all of our regional partners, and we all work together to make sure that we have teams of people that can help each other over time. I also joined the groundbreaking celebration for the new Thornton High School project, which is a pretty big investment for our community. And I missed our Chamber Connect event because I was actually participating in a fellowship with the Hunt Institute for a group of mayors to talk about workforce readiness, education partnerships, even housing affordability and supporting future work needs for communities like Thornton. I chaired the board meeting for the Mile High Flood District. This is a group that works regionally on flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure, and public safety projects across the metro area. And, of course, our Memorial Day events this weekend were pretty amazing. The day was beautiful. The memories were incredible. And it was an honor to be able to recognize those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I was able to attend part of the Ward 4 meeting, but I had to rush off to band rehearsal because we are about to kick off our Summer Rhythm and Reels events with the Mayor's Ice Cream Social this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Harley Brown Theater at Margaret Carpenter. The Thornton Community Band will be performing, followed by the movie Wicked for Good. So I hope to see you all out there. And thank you to everyone that came to public comment tonight. And a special thank you to the students at Pathways. I mentioned the cuteness of the pre-K kids, but you guys are the dream. Those kids look to you, to the future, to see what's possible. And by making sure that you take care of yourself and the needs that you and your family need, they have something to look forward to. So thank you for being an inspiration. So with that, we're going to move on, which item 10 is quasi-judicial public hearings. There are no quasi-judicial public hearings this evening, so I'll move to item 11, which is legislative public hearings. Item 11 is a legislative public hearing, and at this time, I would like to ask anyone in the audience intending to give testimony, including citizens who have signed up to speak, to please stand so you can be sworn in.

Please raise your right hand. Do you hereby swear or affirm that your testimony before this council will be true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief? Thank you.

Thank you. Item 11a is a public hearing concerning fast-tracking housing choice projects consistent with Proposition 123. Public hearing is now open at 8.07 p.m. Mike Garrett, Planning Director, will present this item. Please state your name, address, and whether you have been sworn, and if you have not, please respond to the clerk after she gives the oath.

Good evening, Mayor, Council Members, Mike Garrett, Planning Director, 9500 Civic Center Drive, and I have been sworn in. Tonight items 11, 1, a, and 11. 2, a, I'm sorry, 11, a, 2 are up items that are for proposition 122 specifically regarding fast tracking of affordable housing projects. As you may recall counsel, these, this project is. We've been working on since October with a consultant and with staff. Tonight, you'll hear out of 12 strategies we're looking at, everything from things that we're looking at completing in the near term to things that we'll be looking at a couple years out. Uh, we're addressing 2 of those this evening, which is specifically that our code elements to fast tracking and processing regarding fast tracking. Further along, we'll be looking at other elements procedures, including not limited to our fee structures and along those lines as well to unlock hopefully some affordable housing more product within the city authority. From there, I'm going to allow Zach to do the remaining the presentation and we're both available for questions. Thanks.

thank you mayor city council um zach noise uh planner two with long range planning and city development i have been sworn um So now we're going to talk about the housing choice code, specifically a fast track expedited review process. Um, these 2 items are part of 1 recommendation that we presented back in March. Um, we had a bit of a conversation last week as well at a planning session about prop 123, the housing choice code, and we touched on this item as well. But specifically, we are going to provide an overview of the housing choice code, a in depth look at the fast track resolution and article two proposed amendments, and then look at the actions next steps. I do want to highlight that all the public meeting notification requirements for both items have been met and are attached to the meeting. So as mentioned, in March, staff presented several, I would say, recommendations related to the Housing Choice Code. These range from process improvements, policy considerations, and code amendments. Tonight, we are looking at that first one up there, the expedited review process. And I just want to highlight that that was one recommendation coming out of the Housing Choice Code, but there are two items to address it, and I'll get into that in a second. But the other 10 or 11 items on this list we are pursuing, we're working with our consultant on. You will see them either later this year or next year. The reason that we are bringing forward an expedited review process tonight is tied to a bit of a deadline around funding, but that doesn't signify its importance as greater or less than the other items with the housing choice code. All right. So going back to the overall Housing Choice Code, we kicked this project off in October. And as I mentioned, after a lot of community engagement, in March we brought forward a set of recommendations to the Planning Commission and Council. We got direction to pursue those. And then the Planning Commission recommended on May 5th to adopt the resolution and ordinance presented tonight. Last week, we had a planning session on a couple of topics, including Proposition 123, the Housing Choice Code, as well as this expedited review process. And after tonight's public hearing, staff will pursue drafting and adoption of other near and midterm recommendations for the remainder of this year. And then next year, we will explore the mid and long term recommendations that came out of that Housing Choice Code project. Tonight, we are talking about an expedited review process. And as I've mentioned multiple times now, this is the first item in the Housing Choice Code recommendations. The first item is a resolution which affirms the city's intention to implement a review process in accordance with Prop 123. We are also suggesting minor amendments to Article 2 of our city's development code, that's Chapter 18, to enable the adoption of this fast track program. The catalyst for bringing these items to you today is a deadline for acquiring additional Proposition 123 funding, which approaches at June 30th of this year. We are confident that implementing these items prior to this date enables us to receive an additional $45,000 to further our housing choice initiatives. And before we move into each item, I do want to clarify what is meant by expedited review. I want to highlight the limited applications that are actually eligible for this process and clarify that this would establish a 90 day review window for site plan applications eligible for administrative approval. Um, this would primarily be applicable to the city's, uh, development plan application. Um, and I want to reiterate that, uh, public hearing, uh, items like the annexation and zoning amendments, um, which requires city council approval, um, are not impacted by this 90 day review window. Um, and this specifically is focused on administrative applications. So this would only speed up the review by city staff of specific affordable housing projects and does not introduce any new locations where they are allowed by right. And it does not loosen the standards around affordable housing projects in the city. The development plan currently does not require a public hearing under the city's development code, but it does require a neighborhood meeting be held, and we are making some modifications around the timing of that, but we do intend to retain the neighborhood meeting requirement for development plan applications, as well as all existing public notice requirements and procedures. This brings us to our first item, the fast track resolution. This documents the city's commitment to reviewing qualified affordable housing projects within the 90 day review timeline. There are exceptions for special circumstances, but generally this commits staff to prioritizing the review of qualified affordable housing projects. This piece of the expedited review process deals specifically with staff review protocols, which is rarely documented in the city's development code, which is why we've brought it forward today as a resolution rather than an ordinance. But to reiterate, this prioritizes qualifying applications in plan review queues and provides clear timelines to any applicants and the community as well. Moving forward, we have... The next slide. Chapter 18 amendments to the city's municipal code. So there are four sections where we are proposing minor amendments. Section 1826 and 1841 regarding application procedures and development plans. In those sections, we are proposing the requirement of a Pre application meeting only for qualified affordable housing projects to streamline the 1st, the middle. So, while city development offers Pre application meetings for any project, and I'd say we have them at about 95% of projects that are submitted to the city. Currently, it's not a formal requirement in our development code. But because we are trying to expedite the review, there are a lot of T's to cross and I's to dot. We want to have a pre-application meeting with any applicant beforehand just to make sure that their submittal is in alignment with all of the development code priorities and requirements. So this accounts for the changes in 1826 as well as 1841. 1829, public notification. Currently, neighborhood meetings are a requirement for development plans only at the discretion of the planning director. And additionally, they cannot take place until after the first round of review has been completed by the city. We're making a couple of tweaks to this because the expedited review timeline for qualified projects is ninety days. We are proposing to make a neighborhood meeting a requirement on all fast track applications to ensure that the community is engaged with and has an opportunity to see the project before review by staff. Additionally, we propose amending the requirement that the neighborhood meeting take place after the first round of staff review, which can take a few weeks, instead allowing a neighborhood meeting to take place after formal submittal of the application. This just helps us fit in the neighborhood meeting with the review timeline, get it all in within 90 days. And then finally section 1845 regarding preliminary plans. We are proposing removing the requirement for a preliminary plan only on qualified affordable housing projects. Preliminary plans is a development code application and it's intended to give high level guidance to land uses as well as site access and site orientation prior to a developer spending additional time planning out the details of a project. However, to accommodate a 90-day review period, staff is proposing the elimination of this procedure and moving straight into the development plan application, which requires all of the same sort of use requirements and development standards, but looks at them at a specific fine-grained level. With that, that's an overview of the two items we're proposing today. Moving on to the potential actions for the fast track resolution, our options are to approve the resolution as presented, approve a resolution with modifications, or to deny a motion to approve the resolution. And then regarding the article 2 amendments to chapter 18 of the city's development code, the options are either to adopt the ordinance, adopt the ordinance with modifications or deny a motion to adopt the ordinance. With that, our recommendations are to approve the fast-track resolution and adopt the ordinance amending Article 2 of Chapter 18 by City Council. And I will move on to any questions that the City Council may have.

Council, are there any questions at this time? I know we've talked about this extensively, so thank you very much for the recap on the presentation. Ms. Long, do we have anyone signed up to speak in favor of or in opposition?

Yes, Your Honor. We do not have anyone in support, and we have one person in opposition.

All right. So in just a moment, each speaker will be given up to three minutes to speak. Make sure that you watch the light on the podium. When it turns yellow and you hear a single beep, you'll need to wrap up your comments. When it turns red and you hear multiple beeps, your time is up, and I'll have to interrupt you as your three minutes are over. When you are called, those in person, please come to the podium and state your name, address, and whether or not you were sworn for the record. And if you weren't, we can make sure we take care of that. Would you please call the first person?

Sarah will see one 4, 6, 0, East, 128th court.

My name is Sarah will see I reside at 1460 East. 128th court in Thornton, and I have been sworn in. Good evening mayor Coleman and city council members. Again, my name is Sarah Wolfsky. My husband Dale and I reside in Ward 4. Based on our interpretation of the law, we urge you to think carefully about the risk and burdens that come with complying with Proposition 123. Affordable housing matters. But the state's one-size-fits-all rules take away Thornton's local control and place heavy administrative and financial pressure on your staff and the taxpayers. We're asking you to reject the 90-day fast-track review process for three key reasons. Number one, planning safety concerns. Requiring your planning department to approve large, complex, multifamily projects in just 90 days forces them to rush critical work. That means less time to fully evaluate infrastructure needs, traffic impacts, and public safety. Thornton should not compromise thorough review just to meet a deadline set in Denver. Two, flawed state growth targets. The state's requirement that Thornton produce 268 affordable units this year ignores real-world challenges like labor shortages, supply chain delays, and high interest rates. Even state housing experts now admit the 3% annual growth formula isn't working across Colorado. Thornton shouldn't strain its resources to meet a target that doesn't reflect local conditions. And lastly, harsh penalties for communities. Proposition 123 uses an all-or-nothing system. If Thornton misses even one target because of market conditions we cannot control, we lose access to all state funding. On top of that, the program pulls $300 million from the state general fund, which reduces TAVR refunds that Thornton families depend on during high inflation. Thornton has already shown it can manage housing development responsibly without state micromanagement. We should protect our ability to make local decisions about zoning and planning instead of accepting rush timelines and punitive rules. Please put Thornton's long-term stability and careful planning first. Thank you for your time and for your service to our community.

Thank you. And as that's the only person that has signed up, is there anyone in the audience that wanted to speak but didn't know you needed to sign up? If so, you can come to the podium now. All right. Is there any additional staff presentation?

I'll just acknowledge some concerns, which are very legitimate.

I was going to ask them anyway, so thank you for... Yeah.

Please. So I noted four comments, local control issues, planning safety concerns, flawed state targets, and harsh penalties from the state for not complying. And the first and the last, I do want to comment that Proposition 123 is a funding stream that was created by the voters of Colorado. It creates millions of dollars for local governments to tap into to fund projects around Planning initiatives as well as land banking, um, and the city of Thornton in 2024 did opt in to these funding streams. Um, we, we, we committed to, um, going after this money and and planning for additional housing, um, in a way that we, the city feel is, um. Responsible for for our goals and, um, staff does believe that that this project. does that because it accommodates the existing development code that we have in the city and all of the standards that we want to hold for affordable housing developments in the city. Um, and I want to highlight that we are not adding any areas in the city, um, that are newly eligible for affordable housing. We are not relaxing any development standards. Um, we are just, um. Prioritizing this in staff reviews, uh, there's a strategic plan operational team focused on how exactly we can do that with the staff members that we have today. So that when a affordable project for affordable housing project comes in, we can shift some of the burden and ensure that all of the many standards in our city's development code are all reviewed thoroughly and safely and accurately. Um. and with that i think the only uh other comment that was made is harsh regarding harsh penalties for not complying and i do want to highlight that in the resolution the fast track resolution we have acknowledged that there are multiple ways that we can extend this 90-day timeline either the city or the applicant for a variety reasons such as you know market conditions changing unexpected circumstances arising in the city that prevents us from reviewing it within that 90-day timeline, as well as, and I'm blanking on the last one. There was one more. But there are multiple exemptions for that 90-day review period that allow flexibility on the city side.

Thank you. Any additional questions from Council before I close the public hearing? All right. The public hearing is now closed at 8.24 p.m. Council Member Russell, would you please introduce Item 11A1?

Yes, I'd like to introduce a resolution supporting the adoption of a fast-track review process for qualified affordable housing projects as part of the commitment to Proposition 123 as adopted by Colorado voters in 2022, and I ask for its approval. Second.

Thank you. Approval of the resolution has been moved and seconded. I'll open it for discussion. Council Member Russell, you made the motion, so you have the option to go first. Second.

Um, just wanted to, you know, slightly touch base on the public comments. So, Sarah definitely appreciate you coming in this evening. You raised a few points that we actually did discuss last week in our planning session as well. Um, council has the opportunity in these planning sessions to do a lot more of the questions more than what you see. In the evenings of the formal meetings, um, and your concerns were brought up, uh, largely. Uh, at this time, though, I have to do trust in the staff and the work that Zach and the rest of the team have put together because they were, I think, able to answer some of those concerns for you this evening. But I do want to just highlight last week's meeting and video may have some more information for you. So, as we, uh, seek to continue to have access to those funds, um, the changes. I think we feel as a body are minimal, but I do encourage you to go back and watch that video maybe to help address some of those other issues that may be unanswered for you still. Other than that, I will be supporting this.

Any additional discussion? I want to add my comments as well, your points are very well taken as well ski I very much appreciate it because I know we had a recent project that was very concerning and the fast track might have made things more difficult for the Community to be involved. A couple of things to think about here is that not every project has to go through this if it's the one that we don't deem meets the intent of proposition 123 it doesn't have to follow a fast track. The Community engagement was a key component of making sure that the Community is not. taken out of the conversation, because to me that is one of the most important pieces that we have. We will not compromise safety to put a faster timeline. So as you heard from our staff member who talked about, we are fast tracking this by prioritizing it, which means it would go over other projects, not replace safety requirements or any additional oversight that would be required. And making sure that there are opportunities to take it out of that process should something change, that is a very important piece. What this does do is unlock potential funding from the state, whether there is some available or not, that is to be seen, right? Because we know what the state is challenged with with budgets right now. But because this was voted on by the public, and it is an opportunity for us to get access to funding that we would not have otherwise, I am going to support this tonight, noting all of your concerns are extremely important and will be followed through this new process. Would you please pull the council?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed by majority 6 to 1, Your Honor.

Thank you. And Council Member Russell, would you please introduce item 11A2?

I'd like to introduce an ordinance amending Article 2 of Chapter 18 of the City of Thornton Municipal Code to supplement the adoption of the fast-track permitting process for qualified affordable housing projects, and I ask for its approval. Second.

Thank you. Approval of the ordinance on first reading has been moved and seconded, and I'll open it for any additional discussion. Council Member Russell?

No additional comment. Thank you.

Anyone else? Please call the council.

Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed by majority, six to one, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item 12 is staff reports. Item 12A is the monthly financial report for March of 2026. Kim Newhart, Finance Director, and Erica Sena, Budget and Operations Director, will present this item.

Good evening, Mayor and council members. I'm Kim Newhart, finance director, and I'm here with Erica Sena, the budget and operations director. The purpose of tonight's presentation is to provide council an update on the city's first quarter financial results. So I'll begin by walking through kind of the broader economic picture, including sales tax trends and residential permit activity. And then we'll discuss how those trends are impacting the city's funds. From there, Erica is going to walk you through expenditures, next steps, and some key takeaways. So from a national perspective and kind of the lineup timing a little bit, as of March 31st, CPI was up 4.2%. April rolled around. It came in lower at 3.8%. The economy's you know uncertain inflation is impacting consumer spending which we can see on this graph, and I'll talk you through in a minute These revenues filter through city revenues through mostly collection of sales tax And I tell you this is because you're going to see that we're following a very similar path here Sales tax is the largest revenue source for the city, and it is the most sensitive to economic conditions So what this slide represents is citywide sales tax activity. So in addition to the local businesses that are in our city, it also provides insight to our overall consumer spending patterns within the community. After the first two months of collections, we're up 4.8% year over year. If I look fast forward to today, we're in one more month, we're at 3.2% growth. And so we've tapered down a little bit, just like the national results. This does right now put us in line to meet budget expectations, but we don't believe this is going to continue. We believe that we're still going to continue to see this taper down. Higher energy costs and inflation on general goods, they always temporarily increase our sales tax revenues. But then what we typically see or we will expect to see is that that then shifts consumer behavior to kind of pull back a little bit on their spending. You can see this a little bit in the graph on the right. What you'll see here is people have shifted their one-time purchases, like vehicles, furniture, and electronics. To more of a necessity based good so you can see those are doing better year over year than your your 1 time. Um, maybe non necessity items. Um, the 1 area we have seen a notable difference, um, both nationally and locally is in development related growth revenues. Um, development development activity specific to Thornton is trending below what we've expected. Um, and we don't anticipate this to meet our budget expectations. Um, this is important because these revenues filter through multiple funds. So it's not just the general fund. It includes the water fund, the sewer fund. Um, through March year to date, we had 63 units. Um, that pulled permits at the end of April that number increased to 86. so we had an additional 23. The original budget we built on an assumption of 625 residential permits. We've now lowered that to 425. Um. That 425 includes about half single-family homes and half multi-family units. So as we get further in the year, we'll have a better understanding if that's going to hold or not. Okay, so let's transition how that impacts our, um, various city funds. So what this slide does is it provides an overview of everything that happened the 1st quarter. Um, 1 thing is important to note is that most of these revenue streams only have about 2 months of data in them. Um, so it's really still too early to establish any kind of trends. Um, but this breaks down revenue streams by fund, it compares our year to day actuals against what our original budget expectation. And then we have the status dots on the right. Um. They're simply a quick health indicator. So green means the fund is tracking well. Yellow means we're watching it closely. If it was red, it would indicate that there's a more significant concern. Overall, right now, revenues are tracking close to budget expectations with most of our funds performing at or near average percentage collection for the year, for this point in the year. The general fund is slightly below its historical average. This is tied to the slower development growth that we saw. Also, as I mentioned earlier, we do anticipate sales tax growth to continue to moderate. So we would. Right now the status is yellow. The fund is the fund is pretty economically sensitive. So we're going to watch that really closely. Special revenue funds are slightly below average. This is really related to timing and when grants are received and revenues are recorded. And then on the utility side, water fund revenues are slightly ahead of historical averages. We do know, though, that projections are going to come in under budget for both rate revenue, which is driven by the consumption of the consumer and our drought for the drought mandates and then development related activities. Um, so water is a yellow status. Um, while these variances are meaningful, the fund is not in a cash, um, position concern. And so development revenues are 1 time revenues and so we'll see those revenues kind of shift into a future period. So we're always looking at things. Not only this year, but we're looking at the next 5 years, the next 10 years. And so we're, we're expecting those development 1 time revenues just to shift out. Um. Right now, as far as rate revenue, which is tied to consumption, we do anticipate that that will normalize in the coming years. If it doesn't, then we'll adjust our projections. The stormwater, sewer, and environmental services and the Thornton Development Authority funds are generally performing as we would expect at this point in the year. So just to go over key takeaways, the general fund, it's still really early to establish revenue trends, but we are looking at it closely and watching it closely. We have reduced the projected development related to revenues. That projection has changed by about $2 million. Um, in the water fund drought related conservation efforts that we're targeting that 10% reduction consumption, um, that rate revenue they're projected to come in approximately 8Million dollars below what we originally budgeted. And then development revenues in the water fund are also projected, like I said, to come in approximately 10Million below budget and that's just driven by those those permits that are being pulled. So big picture development-related revenues remain really the primary budget risk this year. And then sales tax collections, even though they're on target right now, and they look like they're tracking the budget, we're going to keep a close eye on them. We don't expect that to hold. So that is all. I'll turn it over to Erica. Good evening, Mayor and Council.

a shorty so i'm going to move this down a little bit okay um so before i get into the numbers i wanted to first ground all of us a little bit in what was included as part of the 2026 budget so this was approved by council in the fall of 2025 and even at that time Staff was recognizing and projecting some concerns as it relates to revenues, mostly in the items that Kim has mentioned sales tax and development revenues. Those were built into the projections. And so, because of that. The 2026 budget that was proposed to council and ultimately recommended was a relatively conservative budget. We sort of had to grapple with that limited growth. And so when I think of this budget, I think about it as a conservative budget where we tried to make strategic investments. And so to that point, there are these three major areas of investments that were part of the 2026 budget. The 1st, 1 was investing strategically in staffing. You'll notice that there are 3 subsections, their public safety, essential services and community programs. There are also 2 different staffing items on there that have an asterisk at the end. What that indicates is. Those are staffing items where rather than just adding an FTE and adding funding, there were repurposed vacant positions that went to go to this new purpose. And I think that was just, again, part of our conservative strategy as part of 2026. So that included an additional 911 dispatcher. We also hired three additional firefighters. We converted three co-responders to full-time city employees. On the essential services side, a senior assistant city attorney dedicated to prosecutorial services was added. That was also a reallocation of an FTE. And then lastly, community programs, there were two positions converted from part-time to full-time, one in the active adult program and the other in the arts and culture program. In capital investments, there are a number of very large projects that were funded in the 2026 budget, but many of these items were funded at least in large part due to grants and grant seeking from staff. For each of these, I'll call them out. So South Washington quarter, this is actually year 2 of the implementation of a 5 year improvement project. This includes pedestrian mobility and safety improvements on Washington street from 85th Avenue. 85th Avenue to Eppinger, widening of 104th Avenue. This is a $29 million project. It's been fully appropriated at this point. We're still in the design phase, but we'll be moving into construction shortly. $25 million of this project was funded through the RAISE grant. The next one up is PFAS removal improvements at the Thornton Water Treatment Plant. So though this was not funded through grant funding, other funding has gone to, it doesn't fully cover the improvements, but to offset some of the costs associated. And then lastly, two major trail expansion projects, both of which were at least in large part funded through grants. The big dry Creek trail expansion from 136 Avenue to 144th and the Thornton Parkway multi use path. And that path is from I, 25 to grant street. And then, lastly, the city invested in their employees with market based salaries and competitive benefits. So, similar to the table that. Kim showed you all. This table shows what are we looking at in terms of operating fund expenditures? Where are we at? So again, similarly, where are we at year to date end of March compared to the overall budget in 2026? And then a comparison of how much have we spent percentage-wise in the budget through the end of March compared to a three-year average of what do we normally spend through the end of March. And you can see that generally we're in alignment or under what we normally spend. We've also begun doing more detailed projections which we'll get into on the next slide. But as Kim mentioned, it's pretty early in the year. So the projection, our ability to project in any sort of precise way is limited, but we have begun doing so. And we are projecting that all funds will be at or under budget. So some projection data of note. We are anticipating personnel savings. The majority of this is in the general fund. That's in large part due to the vacant positions that the city has been holding with the intention of utilizing those FTEs as part of the reorganization effort. So as the reorganization moves along, we will start seeing that those vacancy savings decrease throughout the year. Over time, we are currently projecting $2 million over budget. This is completely covered at the moment with other savings. There's a range here, though. So, you know, we could see $1.4 million over. We could see $2 million over. The majority of that overage is coming from fire operations. This is in large part due to the last academy fire station came online. The class that was meant to fill that was still largely in training, and so much of that had to be covered through overtime. Overtime has come down throughout the year, and it's something that we watch very closely every pay period. Health insurance, we are projecting about a million dollars in savings. Council might remember that we had preliminary health insurance numbers when the budget was finalized. And then after the fact, there were some changes made. It brought health insurance down. So we had anticipated these savings. And then in the utilities, we are projecting about a million dollars in savings in the general fund. One of our largest utility spends is in water in our parks. These savings we are anticipating may materialize due to drought restrictions. So Kim talked a lot about what are we seeing nationally. Another thing that we've been doing is monitoring the state forecast, which they provide quarterly. And so what's presented on this screen is really just, it's the state information, but I think, so it's not as finely tuned into foreign as we are, but what we're looking for is like, is the state seeing what we're seeing? And the answer is yes. The state is seeing that growth in retail sales is not keeping up with inflation. So generally, we're actually tracking in sales tax a little bit better than the state at the moment. They're anticipating that trend to continue through 2026 with some moderate improvement in 27 and 28. Residential construction is forecasted to contract throughout the state in both 2026 and 2027. And then lastly, there remains uncertainty around tariffs. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision did strike down a particular way that we were able to impose tariffs. They were then reimposed under a different, I don't know if you'd call it a law, but they were imposed a different way. Those are expiring in the middle of this year, but the administration has indicated that they are interested in pursuing tariffs. So right now, we don't know exactly what that's going to look like. That impacts both revenues and expenditures. As Kim mentioned, it has sort of an initial bump. If tariffs cause inflation, then that will cause an initial bump in sales tax revenues, but then we are likely to see lagging effects on our expenditure side as well. So what are our next steps? Well, we will continue monitoring revenues and expenditure expenditures and refining those projections as the data matures. Kim's team is prepping the 2027 revenue projections, and the budget team is utilizing those projections to build the budget recommendation that will be coming to you all later this season. And then we will be providing an update and check-in with you all early July or sooner if necessary on both those 2027 revenue projections along with sort of key investments that we're looking at for the 2027 budget. And then second quarter financial results similar to this presentation will be presented to you all on August 25th. With that, happy to take questions. All right, any questions from Council?

Councilmember Byrd.

You mentioned that we're looking at the state data coming back about sales tax revenue. I think comparing to some of the slides we have in there, it shows that we're up 4.8% year over year as of right now. Most of the categories look like they're up pretty high. How much of this growth is tied to inflation versus what's actual spending? Do we have any kind of numbers on that?

No, that's a great question, but no. We don't have that level of detail.

Okay. Well, if we continue to see the sales tax validity continue, do we have any corrective actions that we're planning to take to go forward with that?

We're going to continue to project and then bring back to council what that looks like to make sure that we maintain a balanced budget. So if we need to do something on the expenditure side, yeah, absolutely. We'd come to council and talk through that first.

Perfect. And then the last one, given the slowdown in permits, do we see any kind of long-term infrastructure decisions being modified or changed because of that?

I can't speak to any specific projects, but it is something we consider a And right now, the city is working through our capital committee process, which is a group from across the city. It includes our development teams, our infrastructure teams. And what they're looking at is, you know, looking at what we need as a whole and then prioritizing those needs. And there's, you know, we're weighting it based on, like, when do we need this to happen, making sure that we're coordinating projects in the same areas together. So it's certainly a factor.

Okay. In one of the other slides, we see that building materials are up 14%, but our permits are down. So I didn't know if there's a tie for correlation where people are not getting permits due to expenses of permits here, or if it's more they're just buying materials here and moving somewhere else to build it.

I think it could be inflation and it could be residential. Instead of new development, it might be residential permits inside your house, like remodeling your basement, things of that nature. So those locations that sell construction materials are up. But yeah, we're not able to tell if that's related to inflation or just, you know, more foot traffic in those stores.

Gotcha. And then my last question, how do you feel that we are comparing to neighboring cities or cities of a like size currently?

Yeah, we actually do a lot of comparisons. We talk to our neighboring cities and even some of the smaller cities a little bit further away. It's kind of apples and oranges. Everybody has their different diversification of where their sales tax is coming from. Right now, everybody's up a little bit. Everybody's very hesitant that that'll stick, though. We're right in the mix. Probably we're on the higher end than most cities, so we'll see how that shakes out. But yeah, everybody's Everybody's doing better than they thought, but anticipating that to slow down.

Okay, thank you.

Any additional questions?

Thank you very much. Very much appreciate it. Item 13 is the consent calendar. Is there any member of council who would like to remove an item from the consent calendar? Hearing none, is there a motion to approve the consent calendar as presented?

So moved. Second. Second.

Thank you. Approval of the consent calendar as presented has been moved and seconded. Please read the appropriate titles into the record and pull the council.

In ordinance amending sections of Chapter 42 related to liquor licensing. Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed unanimously, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item 14 is action items. Item 14A is an ordinance amending Section 38-523HHH, careless driving, and Section 38-645, operation of motor vehicles and recreational vehicles generally, and repealing and replacing Section 38-641, definitions electrical assisted bicycle. And I'll turn this over to Kent Moorman, a regional transportation engineer, to present this item.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Tonight I'm presenting a proposed ordinance that makes city code changes involving e-bikes and motorized vehicles. The purpose of this is really to provide some background, and then I'll get into the proposed ordinance changes. E-bikes and other vehicles, motorized vehicles. We've had concerns. And the reason for the ordinance changes is concerns about safety, conflicts, and damage to city property. We've had motorized vehicles in places they should not be moving. And then we've had concerns about e-bike regulations that restrict desired uses and reduce our mobility. of our residents. And then finally, as we looked into this, we found that we had conflicting city code sections regarding where e-bikes are allowed and where they are not. So when I talk about e-bikes or electrically assisted bikes, there's examples up here on the screen of what they look like and it also includes a three-wheel with two wheels in the back and one in the front. Their pedal assist only and the motor usually cuts out at 20 miles an hour. Class two is pedal or throttle assisted, but the motor ceases at 20 miles an hour. Class three are not allowed on our trails now and through our adopted code. They're pedal assist only, sometimes their motors cease at 28 miles, but they must be 16 years old and have a driver's license to drive the class threes. So some of the proposed ordinance changes, starting with Section 38.523 of our adoption of additions and modifications to our adopted Colorado model traffic code, includes adding what's highlighted in yellow there, pedestrian traffic, users of trails, bikes and pedestrian paths, unpaved surfaces not designated for wheel travel. The reason that we're adding this is really to assist and change behavior, and we believe that this will help us as we go towards more enforcement. The second one modifies the existing, replaces part of the code on the electric-assisted bicycles because this section is in conflict with another section where we adopted the Colorado Model Traffic Code. And so we eliminated B and replaced it with an electric-assisted bicycle that has operable pedals, is approved for use on any bike path or pedestrian path. Limited to operating at or under 20 miles an hour and bicycle operational requirements of the Colorado Statutes and subject to permissible uses of power driven mobility devices by individuals with mobility found in TCC our Thornton City code 4644 a We've made sure that all these ordinance changes do not conflict with our code M4644A or 44, because that's where our parks, most of our park restrictions are and so forth. This also then brings us in a compliance with 38521, which is where we adopted the Colorado Model Traffic Code that allows Class 1 and Class 2 bikes, e-bikes. In addition, we've added a section 238-641, which we're calling C. And so electric bicycles have to have operable pedals. And if they don't, they cannot be used. So example here, we do have an exception for bicycles. Um, e, what they call e, balance bikes. Um, something I learned is we investigated this that little kids now have e, bikes. Um, but there's an example there that we would allow for those are 6 years of age and under. But the bike on the left would not be allowed and that's starting to get towards your motorcycles also. And finally, we added D under 38645 on the operation of motor vehicles and recreational vehicles. And essentially, it'll be shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, bicycle, scooter, motorbike or other motorized mobility device that has a combustion powered engine on a trail, bike or pedestrian path. or sidewalk, except for on-duty police officers and authorized personnel. So with that, those are the ordinance changes. But how do we do the key messaging? And part of that key messaging that we're really trying to do is change behavior. And we believe that these changes will help that. But we need to message that out to the public, what these changes are. We also believe that the careless, reckless, and unlawful operation Is it's not good and they can be people can be fined up to two thousand six hundred and fifty dollars for that per our existing ordinances Parents and guardians may also be held responsible for violations and associated penalties involving minors already in our code E-bikes with operable pedals will be communicated that are permitted on designated bike and pedestrian paths and trails up to speeds of 20 miles per hour. And no riding vehicle, wheeled vehicles of any kind in prohibited areas. This might be on a sidewalk next to a rec center. This might be across dirt. It might be out on a ball field where we really don't want to have wheeled vehicles at all. And then the following are prohibited on bikes and paths an unpedaled electric bicycles or similar motorized devices including electric motorcycles except the eba ebalance bikes that we talked about and for children six and under gas-powered vehicles including motorcycles dirt bikes and similar recreational vehicles are prohibited and going over 20 miles per hour and So as we continue with the public messaging, we'll put out, if the activity's happening now, who to call. It's the non-emergency number, 538-5150, to report concerns. If it's ongoing or recurring, issues. We'll have a form that they can also fill out. And detailed reports do help our law enforcement identify patterns to support targeted enforcement. And it's helpful information if you can collect it to include locations where it's happening, days and times. It's most commonly Description of the riders or vehicles involved, direction of vehicles observed, and photos or video also safely obtained. So I'm sorry, I gave the wrong number. It's 720-977-5150. Thank you for changing that. So with that, staff's recommendation is amending chapter 38 of the city code to eliminate conflicting language in our code, clarify legal multimodal options for our residents, restrict unsafe equipment that could cause harm to others, and add additional definitions to careless driving. And after that, if approved, we are going to start an educational campaign through our police department to inform our residents And staff will continue to evaluate changes in equipment and if the ordinance changes have any unintended consequences to those that have adapting needs or mobility challenges. As you know, e-bikes have changed a lot since they were first introduced a few years back. So, with that.

Thank you. Are there any questions from council? Council Member Salazar?

So I have a couple questions. Will there be any signage or anything in the parks?

We already have some signage up about motorized vehicles. That's something that we'll be looking into as far as specific signage.

Okay. I know that people on analog bikes can go way over 20 miles an hour. What are we going to do about them?

Analog bikes. Well, we've put in here that it's 20 miles an hour. So that's something that if we need to look at, we will. But you're right. We do have speedsters out there on some of those road bikes.

And then also I have one more question. On October 2nd of 2025, there was a post from the police department asking everyone to not ride e-bikes on parks or lawns, but we have a picture of officers on the lawn at a city event. To the public, that seems to be pretty hypocritical.

I'll take that as a comment.

Council Member Algey?

Thank you, Ken, for the presentation. No questions. Obviously, you just want to say thank you for your work on this. You know, it's like, you know, I've had conversations with my neighbors and my wife and Bram Place Park and Cherry Lane about, you know, kids are using these bikes and while, you know, Devin, Drew, and I were going through our many orientation sessions. That kind of got my interest and say, hey, we need to do, this is kind of outdated, we need to do something about this, right? Then finding out that Councilmember Morris rides e-bikes and also my friend Dale Scholes in the audience rides e-bikes, has an e-bike as well, and he's shown it to me. I haven't ridden it, but still. It's been, I don't want to make it about me, but it is, I will say that this is really helping my growth process in this body. And this is really kind of like my first policy thing that I'm doing. So, but once again, you know, I want to thank you, Kent, thank staff, thank Dale, thank...

I'm going to keep it to questions, Council Member Alge. We haven't had a motion yet.

Oh, I apologize. I'm in trouble again. I'll reserve my comment. I'll finish my comment after we move on. Thank you.

Any additional questions? Councilmember Martinez, would you please introduce item 14A?

Yes, I'm introducing an ordinance emitting section 38-523 HHH, careless driving in section 38-645, operation of motor vehicles and recreational vehicles generally, and repealing and replacing section 38-641, electrical assisted bicycle. And I move for its approval. Second.

Thank you approval. The ordinance on 1st reading has been moved and seconded. I'll open it for discussion. Council member Martinez. You have the option to go 1st as you made the motion.

Yes, I'm very happy to support this. I want to thank the residents in particular. I mean, Dale is here and he brought it to the community's attention, but he wasn't the only one council member Morris comes over algae. the Ward 2 community, they all brought it to our attention. So I think this is an excellent example of, you know, organic grassroots kind of community involvement to get, you know, the proper policy change. I think these changes really do set the record straight. And I think that The key here is safety. We want to make sure that everybody enjoys our beautiful trail system in a safe way. And thank you to the staff for figuring out a way that we can amend our ordinances to ensure that People of all abilities, all ages can enjoy the trails using e-bikes, but do so in a safe manner. And thank you to the police department for their role in this as well. So I'm just happy that this has come forward in the way that it has. And, you know, I'll just say, you know, last thing is don't sweat it too much, Councilmember Alge. I made that mistake many, many times. And you'll get used to it. But, yes, I'm happy to support this.

Council Member Aldi.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. My apologies for speaking out of order. I've been reprimanded and so moved. I accept that. But thank you, Council Member Martinez, for your comments and for your encouragement and your words as well. As I said, you know, When Mayor Pro Tem in Iowa and I had our meeting at Carpenter, we were talking about e-bikes. I kind of was inadvertently drifting towards a more punitive approach. And that's when I woke up and realized you've got to engage community in all aspects. You know, so and I made I made clear to those in attendance say this is not my intent, but I will continue to listen and have the conversations which I have done so in the last two months and they've been very productive and Dale and Drew have been integral parts of that along with my war two neighbors and so that we can find a solution to ensure our public safety in our parks and our trails and our roads when it concerns e-bikes. So once again, I am very my first true test in policy. So it's taken a little bit of a journey, but it feels good tonight. This is a feel-good night for our city. I think a lot of positive things are going to come out of it. The education piece is the key component, obviously, and obviously we're going to be doing that. We're going to do our part here as council members and Madam Mayor and also, you know, at our events. So I am honored to support this resolution this evening.

Any additional discussion? I'll add my final comments as well. I just want to say thank you to the staff for working so incredibly hard to get this done quickly before the summer season officially kicked off. I know there was a lot of concern that we were going to be working with older ordinance information as we went through the summer. And this was an incredible opportunity for staff to show how much they care about the community to be able to put this in place very quickly to make sure that everybody feels safe. I do want to address one of the comments that was made. Specifically, the police department has called out as an exception in this ordinance in order to make sure that we keep our community safe. And so if you ever have questions about why a vehicle is parked on the grass at the police department, feel free to ask an officer any time because they'll be open and honest about it. And maybe we'll have a fun Facebook post about it in the future about why we park on the grass. With that, would you please pull the council?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed unanimously, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item 15 is adjournment, and having no further business, we are adjourned at 9.05 p.m.