City Council - Regular Meeting

All right. Good evening, everyone. I will call to order the 1638th regular meeting of the Thornton City Council. And before we 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 of 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-up 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,

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

Thank you. The city of Thornton respectfully acknowledges the land in 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 people for their ongoing care and stewardship of the land, water, 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 the 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 the roll call of counsel. Clark, would you please call the roll of counsel?

Mayor Coleman? Here. Council Member Acunto?

Here.

Council Member Algi?

Here.

Mayor Portamayela? Here. Council Member Byrd?

Here.

Council Member Martinez?

Here.

Council Member Morris?

Here.

Council Member Russell?

Here.

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

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

Thank you, Mayor. There are no proposed changes.

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

So moved.

Second. Approval of the agenda as presented has been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, clerk, please pull the council.

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

Thank you. Item seven is presentations. Item 7A is a resolution declaring September 11th through 13th, 2026 as Rosh Hashanah in the city of Thornton, Colorado. Council Member Algi, would you please introduce this item and read it in its entirety?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Yes, I would like to introduce a resolution declaring September 11th through 13th, 2026 as Rosh Hashanah in the City of Thornton, Colorado. Whereas the City of Thornton celebrates the diversity of its community and recognizes the many cultural, religious and traditional observances that enrich the lives of its residents, and whereas Rosh Hashanah, meaning head of the year, is the Jewish new year and marks the beginning of the Jewish high holy days and a new year in the Jewish calendar, and whereas Rosh Hashanah is a meaningful time of reflection, renewal, gratitude, and hope, offering an opportunity to reflect upon the year that has passed while looking forward to the possibilities and blessings of the year ahead, And whereas Rosh Hashanah is celebrated through prayer, the sounding of the shofar, festive meals, traditional foods, and gatherings with family, friends, and community, creating opportunities to strengthen relationships and celebrate together. And whereas the observance of Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 11, 2026, and concludes at nightfall on September 13, 2026, marking the beginning of the year 5787 on the Jewish calendar. And whereas... The Jewish community has contributed to the cultural, civic, educational, and economic vitality of the city of Thornton and continues to enrich the community through its traditions, values, service, and commitment to others, and whereas the city of Thornton recognizes the importance of fostering a community where residents can celebrate their traditions and faiths openly and where diversity, understanding, and mutual respect are valued, and whereas The celebration of Rosh Hashanah provides an opportunity for all members of the Thornton community to embrace the spirit of new beginnings, reflect on the importance of kindness and connection, and look toward the coming year with hope and optimism. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Thornton, Colorado, as follows. That September 11th through 13th, 2026 is hereby declared Rosh Hashanah in the City of Thornton, Colorado, and I move for its approval.

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

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Yes. I am not of the Jewish faith, but I have many friends here in Colorado that are. So that's why I'm reading both this resolution and also the resolution for Yom Kippur coming up next. You know, in solidarity and love for my friends of the Jewish faith. Thank you.

Any additional discussion? Councilmember Morris.

Yeah, just to echo Council Member Alge, grateful to see this introduced here and happy to support it.

All right, and thank you as well. I know there's a lot of concern in the community about anti-Semitism happening in our backyards, and so I very much appreciate the fact that we are able as a city to recognize all different faiths, all different backgrounds, and make sure that everybody has a place here in the city of Thornton. Would you please pull the council?

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

Thank you. Item 7B is a resolution declaring September 20 to 21, 2026 as Yom Kippur in the city of Thornton, Colorado. Council Member Algee, would you please introduce this item and read it in its entirety?

Thank you again, Madam Mayor. I would like to introduce a resolution declaring September 20 through 21, 2026 as Yom Kippur in the city of Thornton, Colorado. Whereas Yom Kippur is a significant observance in the Jewish faith and provides a meaningful opportunity for individuals, families, and communities to pause, reflect and consider the ways in which they can move forward with greater intention and purpose, and whereas Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, is one of the holiest and most solemn days of the Jewish year and concludes the 10 days of awe that begin with Rosh Hashanah, and whereas Yom Kippur is a sacred time of reflection, prayer, repentance, and forgiveness, providing an opportunity to consider the past year, seek reconciliation, and look toward the year ahead with renewed purpose, and whereas The observance of Yom Kippur traditionally includes prayer, fasting, reflection, and gathering with family and community, with many individuals taking time to seek forgiveness, extend forgiveness to others, and strengthen their relationships with those around them. And whereas, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on September 20, 2026, and concludes at nightfall on September 21, 2026, marking the culmination of the High Holy Days and a significant period of spiritual reflection and renewal. And whereas, The Jewish community has contributed to the cultural, civic, educational, and economic vitality of the City of Thornton and continues to enrich our community through its traditions, values, service, and commitment to others. And whereas the City of Thornton values opportunities to learn from and honor the traditions and observances of the diverse communities that call Thornton home, recognizing that these traditions help strengthen connections among residents and contribute to the character of our community, and whereas The observance of Yom Kippur offers an opportunity for all members of the Thornton community to reflect upon the importance, forgiveness, compassion, reconciliation, and personal growth, and to embrace the possibility of renewal and positive beginnings. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Thornton, Colorado as follows, that September 20th, 21st, 2026 is hereby declared Yom Kippur in the City of Thornton, Colorado, and I move for its approval.

Thank you. It's been moved and seconded to approve the resolution. I'll open it for discussion. Council Member Alge, if you have anything to add, you are welcome to go first.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Once again, I just want to mirror the comments of Madam Mayor. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in our nation, and we must do everything we can to stop that. Reading these resolutions tonight is part of that effort, but it's also how I conduct myself on a daily basis to love and care for others. And that's all I have. Thank you.

Any additional discussion? Thank you again for reading this one, Council Member. Would you please call the Council?

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 offer comment by microphone while seated in the audience, and at no time shall the public comment be made while moving through the chambers. Ms. Long, is there anyone who has signed up to speak under audience participation?

Yes, Your Honor. We have 17 individuals in person and two online.

Thank you. So in just a moment, 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 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's 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 those who indicated on the webinar registration that you wish to speak will be allowed to unmute and speak when the clerk calls your name. Ms. Long, who's the first person to sign up to speak?

Stan Young, 2132 East 97th Drive.

I think this was a part of the agenda. My name is Stan Yan. I'm an author and illustrator and have been a resident of Thornton since 1998. The devastating and long-standing environmental impacts of data centers are well-documented. So let's talk about what these data centers are for and what benefits and detriments are for our community. As we know, these are being built to facilitate AI. And mind you, the online bots and pro-AI trolls are quick to inform me that if I'm using spellcheck, I'm using AI. We're using spellcheck just fine without these new data centers. What is it that we could possibly need new data centers for? Generative AI and writing, generative AI art and writing so people can steal the work of authors, artists, musicians and animators. So robot teachers can be sold to your school boards to replace your human teachers to make our kids dumber and unable to think for themselves. So people can deep fake your kids' social media photos into child pornography. So people can deep fake you into videos showing evidence of you committing a crime or as a terrorist. To run surveillance cameras with no oversight so that that can be used in any way to the police or the government sees fit. To be used by the military industrial complex so the government can create a robot army to attack its own citizens and communities much more effectively than ICE has been weaponized to do so. But let's look at the benefits. Sure, there's potential for medical research breakthroughs. Chatbot girlfriends. You get to make slick-looking flyers to promote your garage sale. And you get to make billionaire tech bros rich before they do IPOs of their companies in a Ponzi scheme they're going to dump into your 401ks. I don't know about you, but it feels like building something in our backyards that will have an irreparable impact on our health, environment, and quality of life in exchange for these benefits seems not to be a clear enough benefit to your constituents. We might not stop these negative outcomes by not building data centers in our community, but I'd really rather our community not be a part of what's contributing to these outcomes. AI is not inevitable. We're all part of making sure. Oh, and I forgot. One benefit that's not... not for your constituents. It's the financial benefit that you might get to vote for a data center in our community from tech billionaire lobbyists. So Flock and Axon aren't the only ones watching.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person? And I'm going to ask the audience not to clap or make noise. We want to make sure everybody gets the equal respect of being heard tonight, and it's hard for us to hear if there's noise in the audience.

Tom Lampo, no address provided. Thank you.

Okay. If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. That is credited to Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Nazi Germany. He coined those words after associating himself with Adolf Hitler and reading Hitler's Mein Kampf. Hitler knew the masses would more easily fall victim to a big lie, blame Whitey for the invention of slavery, and slavery is a y'all thing. than to a small one. Overall, the masses are more easily swayed through their emotions rather than logical or conscious thought. Feelings rather than facts, that describes the majority of you before me. Your feelings need to hate the white person. The facts obviously show the many Indian nations and blacks all participated in slavery well before the Atlantic slave trade. Yet you purposely fail to mention this in your white hate statement. I'm Tom Lampa, and I hope all of you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. Please remove what you call a land acknowledgement. It's white hate wrapped up in biased lies that when put up against the truth and what America has tried and failed to be, doesn't belong to be written any place. The Bible states in John 8, 32, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. So conversely, a lie puts you in bondage. You have chosen bondage, slavery to a lie. And the majority of you will stay in bondage just to have your message of hate move forward, your agenda. And I understand you don't believe the Bible or need what it has to offer. Epictetus, a Greek stoic philosopher, taught only the educated are free. He wasn't speaking about your K through 12 or any degree you would obtain. Education comes from many places, reading, lectures, discussions, living life, moving outside your bubbles. Hitler knew you wouldn't. Goebbels nailed you people. Some Indian nations discriminate against black people. Did you research that? And you really want the Indian nations influencing America's actions and laws? If so, would all of you be seated in front of me? I don't think so. Socrates claimed the only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance. The majority of you trade knowledge for ignorance. Again, you did no research on your acknowledgment. You let ignorance and your white hate, your bias, rule your decisions. You trade good for evil. You would rather remain ignorant than set yourself free. So whatever you believe Juneteenth did for you, the land acknowledgement, set you back a few centuries. Enjoy the rest of your night, because no one deserves the bondage the majority of you have put yourself into.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person? Julie Raymond, Thornton, 80241.

So I am here to comment on data centers as well. And I'm wondering, do we want a stronger economy? Yes. Do we want guaranteed opportunity? Preferred. Not sure data centers are the best bet. Data centers at a different level, I'll just take one slice of it, would be involving the financing, which could be called circular financing. The same one to two companies sit on all sides of the same transaction. So if Thornton wants a data center, Chances are we'll make a deal with this one company. So that capital, the dollars, will move in a circular motion and help that one company benefit at several points along the build out. Investor, supplier, landlord, customer. It's important to recognize and consider this part of agreeing to data centers. Will you and I have a seat at the table? Will we truly understand the cash flow? Will we actually benefit and have quality added into our life, everyday lives? Or will the money need to be spent to fix the problems, which I'm sure people will start to mention, which are the land destruction, groundwater health, air and noise, EPA loosening of standards for all of that. So in short, data center deals come with risks and are not often transparent to communities. AI demand can look stronger than it actually is. We don't know that yet. Financing moves fast and is complex. All deals concentrate around a few central players. And the risk of losses across this industry could, we don't know, but they could cascade across interconnected investors, lenders, all the stakeholders. So I want to ask, have us all consider, what other things could we do besides data centers? And who would end up holding the bag if this falls apart? Those are the things worth considering to me. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Ari Moore, Thornton 80241.

Hello. My name is Ari Moore, and I'm a Thornton homeowner. I'm advocating against data center construction. in Thornton and, of course, in Colorado. The main reason is because water is one of our most precious resources, of course, second only to air. So really, I would think that we'd want to protect that a little bit better. Colorado is in a drought. We are battling other states over water rights currently. Colorado has already opened its arms wide open to fracking, thanks, Jan, which requires a lot of water. We do not have the resources to support data centers and their construction will only negatively impact the citizens. Don't need much more than that. Thank you.

Thank you.

Would you please call the next person? Alicia Gold, Thornton 80241.

Good evening. Thank you for your time. My name is Alicia Gould. I've been a Thornton resident for over 38 years. I've raised three children here. I have five grandchildren who are also living in the area. And I'm concerned about data centers. And I hope each and every one of you are actually listening to what the people are saying. Because my understanding is the United States is built on the Constitution, which is supposed to protect the people from overreach of the government. We have a right to understand what companies are coming into our communities, what they're bringing, positive and negative, and have a voice in whether or not that actually happens. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that We're disappointed in the lack of transparency. Who wants to build up a data center? What players are involved? What timeline? Where do you want to put this thing? Who is it going to affect? We all live here and we're hearing stories from places across the country where data centers have been built. Water problems, people's water is drying up, their water is turning brown, their water pressure is going down. We live in a drought prone area. Right now we have water restrictions. I can only water my lawn a couple of times a week. But yet we're gonna build a data center that may use up a huge amount of water. Farmers across the country are also reporting that if their property is close to a data center, their livestock are having problems producing live births. Think about that for a minute. There's noise pollution. I've heard it from these data centers from people who live near there. People can't sell their houses once these things are built. And huge amounts of noise are coming out, smells, their water's drying up. How are we supposed to be able to sell our property and move out? We won't be able to. I know that jobs are promised with these projects, but they're generally few. They aren't lasting. There may be a few at first, but it's not going to take a whole lot of people to actually operate them. And we all know that this really isn't about AI, like other people have said. It seems to be more about some sort of surveillance state, linking flock cameras, banking, facial recognition, following us everywhere we go. Thank you for your time. Would you please call the next person?

James McInnis, 13303 Elizabeth Court.

Well, that was fast. I was sitting over there worried that I signed up for the wrong agenda item. I actually have two things I'd like to talk about, and I'll be quick about both of them. The first is was just kind of addressed the flock camera situation. I'm sure that you're all well versed in the. uh, recent happenings with, uh, so far there's over 50 police officers who have been charged with, um, stalking, uh, romantic interests, mostly, uh, people using flop cameras. And, you know, there's an old adage that, um, locks on my front door good for keeping honest people honest, but they're not great for keeping burglars out. And, um, not having a mass surveillance state seems to be a great way to keep honest people honest. And it doesn't, at the point where the government knows that I drove past X intersection four times today, it seems like the government is not serving me anymore, but I'm serving the government. Like there's no reason for that level of scrutiny from the government of my actions. And there's the whole, you know, liberty and justice for all thing in the United States. So that's problematic. And then all that information then gets kept in data centers. And not only are they water pigs and resource pigs, but the generators that are needed to supply the power that we can't produce are air pollution pigs. And there's a level of hum an audible decibel level of hum that happens around a data center. I don't know if you all have gone to any of the existing data centers in Colorado or even seen video of them, but it's significant. And then the sort of the last two things I'll say are the players that want to install a data center are betting on the come. They don't even know that artificial intelligence is gonna make money in a way that will sustain them. And so we now build giant buildings filled with servers to serve an industry that hasn't made a dollar yet. And so somebody already mentioned, you know, who's gonna be left holding the bag if we put in a 1.4 million square foot data center that goes belly up. And then finally, Those actors have not proven to be working in good faith. They're more than happy to tell you what you want to hear to be able to get in on the ground. But once they're here, their pockets are deeper than yours. And so if they decide I'm not doing that, whatever that is, they can spend the rest of their lives in court and not even notice it. But our tax dollars pay for the litigation that comes with having to defend ourselves against them. And so I hope you'll be circumspect about whatever data center activity. That's all I got. Thanks.

Would you please call the next person? Kira Drappola, 81272 Washington Street.

Good evening. My name is Kira Drappola. I am a lifelong resident of Colorado. I've been an Adams County resident for a little over six years, and I've been privileged enough to be a homeowner in Thornton for the past three years. My husband and I chose to settle in Thornton for our family and no small part because of the beautiful parks and open space that it affords us. One of my new favorite places in this whole beautiful state has been Market Carpenter Park, just up the road. We love spending the spring, summer, and fall watching the new ducks and goslings hatch and grow up around the pond. Now, people in Michigan and Indiana and other states that have become overrun with data centers have reported that their wildlife have fled. They don't have birds anymore. They don't have squirrels or frogs. Their parks are empty. Anything that can flee has. Their cats and dogs are suddenly anxious and taking on mysterious new illnesses that weren't problems before the data centers went up. This is a canary in a coal mine. If the wildlife knows to leave, The people should too. And this is something we have a chance to prevent in our own city, in our own backyards. This summer, when I explored our beautiful parks and open spaces, I was met with brown, dry plants, dried up creek beds, and nearly empty ponds. There's no snowpack left in our mountains. We are rapidly running out of water, a precious resource that no city in our state can afford to lose to big tech. For the council members who aren't going to be persuaded by the incredible turnout tonight supporting the data center moratorium and don't like my touchy-feely plea to protect our local environment, I want you to consider how much you like to keep your job. Let me tell you, the labor market right now sucks. You do not want to be unemployed in this economy. So consider that midterms across the country this year have shown overwhelmingly how much voters dislike the idea of tech in our backyards. The oligarchs deciding what happens in our communities, no one wants it. There is no doubt in my mind that we will recall every single one of you who voted against the moratorium with a force you cannot fathom. We will vote you out in Thornton. We will vote you out in Brighton. We will vote you out across Adams County and across the state of Colorado. You will be out of a job in this horrible economy because Colorado voters do not want more data centers, no matter the reason. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to ask again for the audience to not make a sound during this so we can hear everybody speak equally. Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Ann Smith, 8130 Tamarack Court.

Hello again. to all of you and some of you who answered my emails. I understand there is an ordinance that might be talked about or possibly having a first reading tonight. I want to thank you. It appears that possibly you're listening to us. I have my somewhat helped AI notes that I was going to say, and I'm not going to say those. I'll just make it quick because everybody's covering the water, the environment, the air. It appears that there will be a moratorium given the meetings that were held within Thornton, including the 100 at the library that some of you attended, the 100 at the Public Utilities Commission meeting that some people in the audience attended, and the Ward 4 meeting that was this week that I understand there was a straw poll that was done, and there was overwhelming support for No data centers possibly, I wasn't there, but certainly regulations. I would hope that you would listen to them and pass this potential ordinance, and I'm sure there are other aspects of concern, but I would hope that any agreement would include, one, the ability to extend the moratorium if necessary based on public input and information that evolved over the year. Two, any agreements would be fully transparent Also have no non-disclosure agreements. The transparency is important because a lot of us have lost trust in our local government, not just our local government. And third, requiring that renewable energy be used. Some people are claiming that data centers are gonna provide some of their own energy, and if you can do it with renewable energy, I don't think data centers are not going to come through here. But we need regulations. So thank you for your time.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Joel Duran, 1707 West 102nd Avenue.

Hi, folks. Bear with me, please. I had very little coffee today. Oh, my goodness. Okay. Good evening, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and members of City Council. It's an honor to stand before you tonight as a Thornton resident who also just happens to serve on Thornton's Arts, Science, and Humanities Council. Mind you, I am here today speaking on my individual personal behalf and not on Tashko's. I moved to Thornton about a year ago after having purchased my first home, and in fact becoming the first person in my family to own a home in the region. While I've lived in the region for years, this decision meant more than simply buying a house. It meant putting down roots and beginning to ask myself, what does it mean to become part of a community? Understanding the importance of civic engagement and social connection, I sought out community in one of the only ways I knew how, arts, culture, and shared experiences. I have previously attended Thornton's Dia de los Muertos celebration, which I encourage all participants here to attend, an event connected to the traditions that I am connected to, and it is deeply important to my culture. So that felt like a good place to begin. Over the course of the past year, I've attended multiple more events and have come to understand Thornton as a city whose identity is rooted in local community, economic vitality, and perhaps more importantly, just having fun. Earlier tonight, council heard a presentation from arts and culture staff and their consulting partners regarding an update to Thornton's arts and culture master plan. An absolute piece of art itself. I recommend looking at it. It's gorgeous. As you continue that conversation, I want to emphasize that arts and culture are not simply amenities or entertainment. They are an essential part of placemaking. They contribute to economic vitality. They create opportunities for residents to encounter each other across backgrounds. And they strengthen the social cohesion that allows communities to weather difficult moments together. I feel like this is deeply important in an era marked by political tension, social isolation, and rapid growth. I find it especially marked and well-timed as many members here are speaking on generative AI and its impact on the human experience. When we invest in public art, cultural celebrations and performances, historical preservations, permanent murals, and so much more, we are also investing in answering the question, what does it feel like to belong in Thornton? As you consider the future of arts and culture in the city, I hope you will recognize its value not only in what we create, but in what it helps create between us. Thank you so much, Council.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Elizabeth Jeremko, Westminster.

Hello. I currently live in Westminster, but I'm excited to be moving to Thornton next month. And I'm here to ask you to pass the moratorium, maybe even longer, like five years at least, so we can do some more research. Council member Martinez said it best. Data centers are wildly unpopular across the country, no matter what community. And it's true. We're exhausted. That's because there are negative impacts on the people who actually live in these communities, not the billionaires who are profiting off of them. I know the city wants you to consider the significant financial impacts that could be. Well, you know what's more important? The environmental impacts. As mentioned, on March 15th, 2026, this city declared a stage one drought. That restriction is only going to increase the more data centers that are built. And you can bet that it won't be the data centers following that restrictions. It will be the people living in the community that are suffering. And you know, the fires are only getting bigger and the water we're losing, and it's only going to get worse the more we create. However, placing a substantial moratorium will only increase all of the amazing work that you are currently doing with Thornton's H2 overhaul. I implore you to consider not even letting them occupy vacant buildings because they have a tendency to ask for forgiveness, not permission when they're building these centers. For example, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing is now suing for over 260 million gallons from our drought-stricken Colorado, even though they vowed to only use recycled water. Another example is QTS and Aurora, who wants to now add 98 more diesel generators to have a total of 138. And just to be clear, it is possible to make data centers more sustainable. It's just more expensive, which is why you won't see developers in the US doing it. They're more focused on building them quickly while they have the time to take advantage of the lack of oversight nationwide. They don't come here to help anyone but themselves, but you all have the power to help prevent the destruction of our home. You all have the power to show your constituents that you care about what is important to us and what should be important to you, according to Thornton's 2026 ESM plan. Thank you for your time, and I thank you in advance for passing this moratorium.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person? Samuel Gomez, North Glen.

Evening, Council. Appreciate being here today. I am a North Glen resident, grew up in Thornton, though. Horizon High School graduate. Thornton's just right across the street from where I live, so I care about what happens here in this city. And I am here tonight to ask you to vote in favor of Action Item A on the moratorium on data centers. I believe Thornton residents and their neighbors have a right to ask whether a data center project aligns with our long-term values and the priorities of the community. AI data centers often require enormous amounts of electricity, substantial water resources, and major infrastructure investments. Those impacts can last for decades. We must carefully consider what an AI data center means for our land, utilities, our environment, and our quality of life. We must also ask the simple question, what does the community actually gain and what do we give up in return? If these facilities result in increased demands on our water, energy, and infrastructure, residents deserve an opportunity to decide whether that is a trade-off they are willing to make. And many times these trade-offs are placed upon those who are most vulnerable in our communities. A moratorium is a chance to slow down, gather information, and establish thoughtful standards, and ensure that the public has a meaningful voice in a decision that could shape the community for generations. Other Colorado communities, like Loveland, like Bowie, have moved forward on the five-year data center moratorium so they can implement strong oversight and accountability measures. And I believe Thornton should do the same. Too often we have seen local governments ignore the wishes of constituents in favor for the profits of industry. You have the opportunity tonight to show your constituents who you truly work for by passing this moratorium tonight. This vote is about empowering the residents of Thornton, to put the many over the money, and to allow the community more time and space to engage with one another on this issue and engage with council on this important subject. I respectfully ask you to vote yes on this moratorium. Thank you.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person? Jason Rose, Westminster.

Good evening. My name is Dr. Jason Rose, and I'm a long time resident of Adams County and the son of the late late Charles Rose, presiding judge of the city of Thornton, whose name adorns that building in the courthouse across the street. I invoke my father not simply because I'm proud of him and his legacy of humanism that he brought to the city, but because his name is on that building. that brick borrow. It represents a truth that extends beyond any one person. The decisions we make will not only define us in life, but outlive us as a symbolic and literal legacy, shaping our communities and the lives of generations that we will never meet. In my work as a psychological educator and researcher, I study terror management theory and the existential consequences of living with the awareness of our own mortality. The theory recognizes that human beings exist within this profound and sometimes paralyzing paradox. We are biological creatures bound by nature and ultimately subject to death. Yet we possess the consciousness to imagine and construct far beyond our corporeal selves. We manage this existential tension in part by creating meaning, by building institutions, strengthening communities, and contributing to legacies that endure beyond and in spite of us. Nevertheless, there are moments when a threat becomes too large to remain an individual or even community concern. community concern, pardon me, welcome to ours. With the arrival of the atomic bomb in 1945, humanity confronted something historically unprecedented, the realization that human decisions could not only jeopardize individual lives, but the entirety of the future itself, producing the unconscionable inequity of prospective annihilation anxiety. The awareness of decisions made by few that can profoundly constrain or break the possibilities available to people who do not yet exist. The correlation then follows. I'm not suggesting that data centers are weapons, nor am I arguing that technology itself is our enemy. I'm arguing for something far more fundamental. When the scale and permanence of technological development ominously threatens water, energy, land, infrastructure, environmental conditions, and the future soul of our communities, uncertainty must not be a justification for speed, but for deliberation. A moratorium is not a rejection of progress. It is an exercise in democratic and human responsibility that is our collective symbolic legacy. Therefore, the existential question before us is larger than whether a particular development is economically attractive or technologically impressive. It is whether our advancement will be accompanied by the wisdom, restraint, and foresight necessary to govern looming consequences. Therefore, I respectfully ask this council to enact a moratorium on new data centers. We have the privilege for making decisions that the future will inherit. Let us have the courage to do so wisely.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Megan Lowe, Henderson.

Good evening mayor and city council members. My name is Megan low and I live in Henderson and I work within Thornton within our local school district. I'm here tonight because I care about the community and where I live and work and I'm asking you to take a much longer and more thoughtful pause before allowing a large scale data center to become part of Thornton. I'm asking the Council to consider a minimum five-year moratorium on approving new data center developments in Thornton. This isn't simply another commercial development. Data centers can place enormous demands on our resources. A water-cooled facility can consume 1 million to 1.5 billion gallons of water a year, which is comparable to 1,000 homes having water. A 20 megawatt data center can require electricity that is comparable to 8,000 to 20,000 homes having electricity. Thornton already has a small data center for Google. I don't believe that means we need to continue to open the door to larger facilities. Longmont has prohibited hyperscale data centers and established separate standards for smaller facilities. Why can't we do the same for our community? I also want to briefly address the concerns residents have raised regarding the mayor's role in the electricity utility industry. I'm not accusing anyone of wrongdoing or questioning anyone's integrity, but the mayor is also the senior vice president and chief operating officer for United Power, an electricity utility company. When a public official has a senior position with a company that could potentially benefit from a major new electricity customer, I believe the appearance of conflict deserves independent review and transparency. Please consider a minimum five year moratorium on new data center approvals and use that time to establish clear standards, study the long term impacts on water and electricity, evaluate infrastructure costs, consider locations further away from established neighborhoods and schools and ensure a transparent and independent process. I also want to be clear that I understand the benefits of AI and the ways it can be a valuable tool. I'm not opposed to technology or innovations, but I think we should ask, does supporting an AI data center mean that these facilities have to be in our backyard and use our community's water, electricity, land, and infrastructures? I believe we can support innovation while still being thoughtful about where these facilities are built and what the impacts are on the communities who host them. Thank you. Thank you, would you please call the next person Anna Miller Denver

Hello, all. I am not much of a public speaker. In fact, this is my first ever council meeting, so this is exciting. My husband and I heard about this meeting last minute, and we made sure to make every effort to be here, because this is extremely important to us. We're very, very passionate about not having data centers, not only for the social aspects, but purely for our environmental aspects as well. We are Denver residents, but we live within a few streets of the city of Thornton. I've spoken to many of my neighbors and friends that live just in that same area as me, and every single one of them is concerned and do not want this to be a part of our community. I just want to appeal to you with a few facts, just purely logic. As a country, we outpace every other country by nearly 4,000 data centers as it is. The leading country behind us is Germany, and they only have around 500. We have 4,500 data centers in this country. What are we using that data for? Why do we need that? Is it potentially for surveillance, as well as our social media habits, as well as a myriad of other things? Yes, because now we're considering surveilling all of our residents as well. Number one um as a as a resident I our household Just like every other household on average probably uses about 300 gallons of water a day Conservatively our household probably uses less, but we are being asked to reduce our water usage by even more And quite frankly a data center uses around 300,000 gallons per day so that's about as much as a thousand households a day that's out of control how in the same breath am I being asked as a constituent to reduce my water usage while a data center is able to just run rampant on our community obviously there's other factors noise pollution things like that that are affecting livestock and humans alike it's out of control I just don't see logically how this can even be said Let's see. I'm sorry. Like I said, I'm not much of a public speaker. I just want you to consider that negative feeling that you feel in your chest right now with all of these individuals coming up and showing their concern for this. Really hold on to that feeling and recognize why you're feeling that. It's because you know that this is not right. You know that you should be feeling this way because the very proposal of this is out of control in the first place, purely from a logical standpoint. Um, like I said, I really appreciate all of your time. Thank you. I know I'm not a public speaker, but I genuinely appreciate your time. Please vote yes on the moratorium. Thank you.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Cass Blurton Poulsen, 2080 McDougall Street.

Hi, everyone. I'm Cass. I've lived in Thornton. Well, actually, I don't live in Thornton. I live just on the other side of 88th for about four years now. I've lived in Colorado for 10. And I, like many of my friends here, are here to ask you guys to vote yes on this moratorium. It's really heartening to see so much support here for this. A lot of people have talked about what I was going to talk about with the water. I was inspired by somebody else, though, to talk about the land acknowledgment, because if we actually want to be stewards of our land and carry that forward, that includes protecting our environment. Data centers are directly Contradictory to that. So I support the late acknowledgement, but I also support you guys fighting and defending the land you live on now.

So land back and thank you. Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Brad Vickers one zero four six one Pennsylvania.

Good evening. Thank you all so much, City Council. My name is Brad Vickers, any pronouns will do, and I am a proud co-lead of the newly formed Adams County Democratic Socialists of America. I've come here tonight because I am a neighbor of yours. I live just across the street on 104th, right in North Glen. I am literally a block away from you all, which is well within range for the piercing hum of a data center to hit me and my wife. I am also here because so many of my neighbors, my colleagues, my fellow DSA members, and my dearest friends live in your city boundaries, well within range for their water, their children's water, to be poisoned by what these billionaires and contractors are proposing. I'm sure some of them are in the room with us tonight. It disturbs me to see that this is a possibility in our fine city, and it disturbs me that this will not be a unanimous vote. This is a monumental vote, not just for our city, but for your political careers. Because I want to be crystal clear with you. Right now, you have the choice to serve the working class of Adams County or to serve the billionaires and their contract. You have the choice between Zoran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, Melat Kiros and Diana DeGette. You've seen the fine work that DSA has done in this beautiful state and across our country. You know the consequences of standing against the working class. You understand the consequences now. that your vote has. This is not a threat. This is a commitment and a promise. Any of you who make the mistake tonight of voting against this moratorium will see a challenge and will be ousted. Thank you.

Would you please call the next person? Christy Douglas, no address provided.

Good evening, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Council, and the audience tonight. It's so great to see it packed here. My name is Christy Douglas, and I live in Commerce City, and that's why I didn't provide my address. I just didn't think it would be pertinent. I wasn't gonna start with this, but I am. I want to commend you for doing a land acknowledgement. I'm actually here for the moratorium for the data centers, but because what was spoken at this podium earlier this evening, I want to commend you for honoring the people who have been marginalized and exploited Commerce City was supposed to have a land acknowledgement. In fact, I made the motion to implement that. However, that can get kicked down the road and they don't have a land acknowledgement as it stands. They avoided it. I don't know why. So, thank you, Thornton, for doing the right thing. I have been to the Core Sight Center in Laria, Swansea, several times. And that's because that neighborhood borders Commerce City. And so those people are reflective of the people who live in Commerce City. Those people that I had the opportunity and the honor to represent for four years. I had dark money come after me. And you know what? It was a blessing in disguise because now I can actually speak my mind without fear of retribution. I don't have to practice decorum anymore. So I've been set free. Please pass this moratorium. Listen to your constituents. Represent them well. Thank you.

Thank you. Would you please call the next person?

Salem Tua Had, 1366 Birch Court. And I do not see them online. So if they are, they can press their raise hand button or star nine.

Okay.

Hi, my name is Salam Tawahada. I'm a retired epidemiologist, current stay-at-home mom, and I've been published a couple times in research journals. So I did the research tonight, and I wanted to talk about the public health of data centers. The nationwide public health burden of data centers is expected to be $20 billion in 2028. This is not expected to be evenly distributed. Counties that have data centers, especially more data centers, they're expected to be up to seven times more impacted than the national average. That means worse health outcomes. These hyperscale AI data centers that we're seeing are at least 100,000 square feet, and they can use up the energy of a town between 70 to 100,000 homes. This gives us a couple different public health concerns. The first being air pollution. That increases everyone's risk for cardiovascular disease, lower life expectancy, childhood asthma, increased risk of adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes, as well as reduced fertility rates. In that air pollution, we see fine particulate matter. This is the kind of pollution that we see in the smoke from wildfires. And you see smoke from wildfires the state over, sometimes the country over. This can travel hundreds of miles. With the fine particulate matter, we're concerned about, again, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as various cancers, neurological disorders, stroke, Increased rates of dementia as well as increased risk of diabetes These create these data centers create a heat dome in the areas that they're in when you combine a heat dome and a heat wave as well as The stress that they put on the grid increasing the risk first for outages With that fine particulate matter in the air that is being kicked up extra hard from the backup generators because of the power outages, we're increasing everyone's risk for death from a heart attack, not just a heart attack. Water pollution is also concerning. Scarcity of water pollution contributes to chronic kidney disease, as well as scarcity of water increases your risk for water-informed diseases because the ratio of poop to clean water really gets thrown off when there's not enough water. The other issues that we have with water pollution from these data centers is that the saline water they let off is high in sulfur. This increases your risk of a myriad of cancers, as well as skin irritation and diarrhea in infants. I am really imploring everybody, as a mom of two, as a property owner here, that we don't rush to make a bad decision for the county. Thank you. Thank you.

Would you please call the next person?

Diana Dudley, Brighton.

Hey, everyone. Thank you for having me this evening. Pleasure to speak with you, Council. I'm a resident of Brighton, and I'm also here to talk about the data centers and implore the council to please vote yes on the moratorium. The impacts of data centers aren't limited by zip code. And what happens in Thornton and Adams County still directly impacts me as a person, as a mom. And I just echo everything everybody has already said about environmental pollution, about protecting our environment, protecting wildlife. In an area where we already have extreme drought, adding in facilities that require an enormous amount of water, even in closed loop systems, is irresponsible. I'm just urging you all to please do the right thing, vote for the moratorium, and please protect our environment, our wildlife. Additionally, one thing I haven't heard talked about very much this evening is the electricity and how the cost of that is going to impact consumers. When these data centers require those enormous amounts of electricity, the cost of that trickles down to consumers, and we're the ones who end up paying the skyrocketing rates. Please take all these things into consideration and vote no. Thank you. Or vote yes for the more points.

I believe that was the last person signed up to speak. Yes, Your Honor. We have just a couple of minutes left within the hour. If there's anyone that wanted to speak that didn't know you needed to sign up, you can come to the podium now.

Hello, I'm Charles Wolfersberger. I'm the district manager for the Willowbend Metropolitan District. I apologize to the audience for kind of taking a tangent away from data center concerns that's being expressed tonight, but I've got a different concern tonight that I want to raise to city council. And I'll start off with this comment. The Office of Attorney Regulation Council assists the Colorado Supreme Court in regulating all phases of the practice of law in Colorado. The primary purpose behind each of these duties is protection of the public, ensuring the Colorado providers of legal services are competent, diligent, communicative, honest, and in compliance with the Colorado rules of professional conduct. Excuse me. We will be filing a complaint with the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel regarding the misrepresentations Ms. Murphy made uh... to city council back on january twenty eight two thousand twenty five uh... regarding the service plan modification request for will have been metropolitan district request was to increase the borrowing limited that district from twenty two million to twenty five million dollars I had time to get a cough. I testified at that meeting in public comment session expressing some concerns regarding the issuance of certain bonds. It was issued by Lennar. It was about $3.7 million of debt. There was other debt as well for this district, and it was all getting wrapped into a refinancing. And they claimed that they needed a borrowing limit increase for the district to be able to complete that transaction. The, uh, 1 of the things that was not told to council, which I brought to the attention was that when our own some of those bonds, and I want to quote city council. Uh, Ms. Bigelow directly asked Miss Murphy. After my comment, she says, does when our own those bonds. And she came to the podium and she was under oath testifying to this city council. And she said, I can't speak to that. It's a privately held security. I do not have any knowledge of who the owner is. And I'm not sure how anyone besides the owner or those that privately trade in such bonds would have that knowledge. There's numerous documents. I'll hold this one in hand. This is Ms. Murphy's comfort letter issued in relation to the issuance of those bonds back in 2022, and Lennar was the buyer of those bonds. So she knew who the owner of those bonds were, but she was afraid that if she let the council know that Lennar owned those bonds, you would deny her request to refinance, to increase the borrowing limit for that district. which was approved by city council. Her fee on that transaction is $75,000. They claimed it was going to be $2.5 million of net present value savings. The true savings is $121,000 to the homeowners. So there was a lot of misrepresentations made at that meeting.

Thank you very much. All right, we've reached the end of public comments. We'll move on to council comments and communications this evening. I think last time I started with Ward 2, so tonight I'm going to start with Ward 3. Councilmember Byrd.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you for everybody coming out and voicing your concerns regarding the data centers. Regarding those, I'll have a couple of comments that I'll mention now before we get to the point. I think everybody's in the same agreement when it comes to preservation of water. I will say that the effect of a moratorium on data centers has a very minimalistic approach in the water because we still have companies that can come in here at any given time and use water usage without us having any kind of direct kind of stoppage on that. So I think that the moratorium is a weak representation of being able to stop something that's actually using resources. But again, I still understand everyone's concerns that are there. The other thing that I would like to bring up is the Bites on the Block event we had last week was great, and had a great time seeing people there, seeing all the different businesses come out, and looking forward to some of the other conversations that are coming up this week for some of the board meetings I'll discuss next week. Thank you, guys.

Council Member Acunto?

Nothing for this round.

Council Member Russell?

Yes, thank you. Like council member, I'm going to speak to cuts, comments and activities over the last few weeks. And then when we get into the next portion of the meeting, in which we discussed data centers, I'll have some comments on that as well. So it has been a busy and rewarding few weeks connecting with some residents, some community organizations, schools, businesses throughout work for and across Thornton. I've had the opportunity to attend the word for walking awards event at Cherrywood Park with council members, Morris and algae. Um, it's great to spend some time with staff and residents talking about the exciting improvements that are coming, um, to the park specifically the upcoming renovation of the playground equipment. We'll bring new life and energy back to cherry wood park, creating an even better space for families and children within the community. I also attended the ribbon cutting for the new grabbing crab in Thornton, as well as Stargate school expansion. It was exciting to see these businesses and educational opportunities continue to invest in our community and contribute to Thornton's continued growth. I had the opportunity to tour the Adams County Animal Shelter, which gave me a firsthand look at the important work being done for the care of animals within our community. I also attended the pipe fitters local to a annual barbecue where I enjoyed spending time with those members and learning more about the work that they're doing throughout our region. Another great event was the Bites on the Block in Eastlake, which was previously mentioned. I had the opportunity to participate in the spaghetti eating contest, which certainly was a lot of laughs. I think some of you guys know how that went. I think I was able to make a comment there. I won that competition. And in that moment, I didn't know if I should be embarrassed or excited. But, um, nonetheless, it was a lot of fun and being engaged with all the residents and jumping right in literally up to my face and eyeballs and spaghetti. Um. The majority of the council also met with the 27 J school board to discuss our continued partnership between the schools and Thornton. Um, everything, all the issues that are important to our families, uh, students and our educators. And here in work for, I was pleased to host the word for community meeting at Thornton Creek golf course. All of these meetings are important, but this one is especially important because it provides an opportunity to hear directly from residents, to answer questions, have meaningful conversations about the future of our community. And I was the 1 that asked the straw poll question at that meeting that was also mentioned earlier this evening. Uh, council member Morris also participated and had a follow up question to that. So those intimate settings are the perfect opportunity for us to really get. In front of the individuals that live within our awards and have real conversation. Um, I also had the privilege of speaking with the 3rd graders at silver creek elementary and teaching or answering questions about local government. It's wonderful to see their enthusiasm and curiosity. Uh, most, if not, every 1 of them have no idea what council members do. But the questions were definitely entertaining and our conversation, I think, gave a little direction as to what we do as a local municipal representative. And lastly, just yesterday, we attended the Thornton Tennis Association's gathering at the Eastlake Tennis Courts. Uh, I did that alongside with council member Martinez, and I believe customer remorse was also there later in the day. We did discuss the associations plans for growth and how they, how we can continue to support tennis and recreational opportunities for our residents as our community continues to grow. All of these events are reminders of what make Thornton such a great place to live, our residents, our schools, our business, our community, organizations, and people who continue to invest time and energy into making our city better. So I appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit with me, share ideas, and help strengthen our community. Thank you.

Council Member Morris.

It's hard to follow that because we're going to have a lot of similarities in what we experience. So here we go. All right, I have a few committee updates and thank yous for my comments tonight. First, I want to thank our city staff and the residents who joined us for the recent Ward 4 meeting at Thorn Creek Golf Course. The resident attendance was outstanding and the weather that night and sunset views were hard to beat. Appreciate the staff who provided updates on upcoming capital projects, our water supply, public safety, and stamps. It was an engaging and informative evening and I'm grateful to the residents who showed up, asked questions, and shared their thoughts. And heads up, I'll be sharing details about an upcoming working forum I'll be hosting at Thorn Creek Golf Course in the coming weeks. We'll talk specifically about a few important topics like homelessness, growth and development in our city, and of course updates about Old East Lake. I want to thank our city staff for the recent Walk in the Awards event. At Cherrywood Park, one of the highlights was hearing from one of our city project managers, Kelly, about the new playground coming to Cherrywood Park. The current playground is 23 years old, and I really appreciate learning about the work that went into gathering public input from the surrounding community and nearby school. Construction is expected to begin soon, if not already, with completion planned for later this fall. So thank you to Kelly and everyone on staff helping move that project forward. I want to thank the Thornton Area Chamber of Commerce and all the volunteers who helped host Bites on the Block in Eastlake on the 29th of August. It's a great event and another reminder of the energy and potential in Eastlake. And of course, events like that do not happen without people stepping up behind the scenes. So I especially want to thank a few key volunteers that day. my wife Brie, Jeanette, Heidi, Amy, Chris, Scott, who did an amazing job hosting the spaghetti eating contest. I think he's hired for the next year. And of course, the Tyco crew. I appreciate the Chamber's continued partnership and everyone working to support local business and bring people together in our community. I also want to congratulate Stargate School on the grand opening. of their expanded campus spaces and new library. It was an honor to be a part of the ribbon cutting ceremony and share a few remarks with those in attendance. Stargate has built a strong culture of achievement, excellence, creativity, innovation, and service, and these new spaces will help expand opportunities for students. I'm proud of the work happening there and look forward to continuing to build that partnership. Finally, I also had the chance to speak with third graders about local government and what it means to serve on city council. This particular class has been studying how local government works and wanted to talk with a real life council member. They had great and some funny questions and really enjoyed the conversation. And to those students, those third graders who are running in the upcoming student council election, good luck. That's all I have for tonight, thank you.

Council Member Martinez. Thank you. I just want to start out by showing my appreciation for everybody that showed up today. Let us know your perspective and how you feel. I know most of you came here to talk about the data center item on our agenda, and I really appreciated hearing all the different perspectives, although I know everybody here was in support of the moratorium. I really do enjoy hearing all the different reasons and just getting a better understanding of the community in general. And one thing in particular stood out, several of you have mentioned that you may have lost some trust in the government. And I'm not surprised at all to hear that. I've lost trust in the government. I think we all have because over the last 20, 30 years, even longer, Many politicians across all different political spectrums have given us every reason to lose trust in our government. And I think one of the big reasons why is because many times it seems like a broken record where people will come into the council meetings and let us know and for some reason their voices are lost on the council members and we go in a different direction. That is one of many reasons why people have lost trust in our government. And it's really disappointing because, you know, now that I've been as a council member for three years plus, I can kind of see all the reasons why, all the different opportunities that we have to let you down. And it's unfortunate, but it does give me motivation. One of my primary motivations for anything that I do up here in council, whether it's up here on the dias, how I vote, who I meet with, what I say publicly. My primary motivation is to rebuild that trust in our government. I think it's important to have that trust. It doesn't work without the public having some amount of trust, and we can't earn your trust without listening, and acting in the best interest of the people. And so I have immense gratitude for everybody who came in here and let us know how you feel. And I feel the same way when people come in here with an opinion that is the exact opposite of the one that I had. Not too long ago, we had just as many people in here who were upset about a development on Claude Court. And I was... You know, I voted in opposition to how many of those people were asking. But I think the difference there was I had engaged with those people. I listened to their calls and their emails. And it wasn't a one-sided deal as well. So, you know, I'm saying this because I appreciate it when people come in here, whether I agree with you or not, and it's important for you to come and participate in this public process. Your voices are not falling on deaf ears, and I encourage you to continue to stay engaged, most importantly to hold us accountable for what we do, what we say, how we act as public officials it won't work without you holding us accountable whether it's here in the council room chambers or at the ballot box so i encourage you to keep doing that and i think that it's a critical part of not just local government, but just how we function as a community, and I think that rolls all the way up to the federal government, so thank you. I do have a few updates that I want to share with everybody. Some of them were hit on my colleagues, but I was able to attend last week the Adams County Health Department Forum. This is, I believe, the second or third year in a row where the Adams County Health Department has brought together, they've convened a number of different leaders from around the community, whether it's from the school board, state legislature, local government, city council, county commissioner. This year, the health department had two outstanding presenters. We heard from Victoria Seaman, the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And we also heard from Annie Lee, the CEO of Colorado Access. But the most interesting thing about both of those presentations was learning about the upcoming cliff that we're facing when it comes to health and human services in Adams County. The fact is over 250,000 Adams County residents are facing the cliff of losing their Medicaid benefits due to the HR1 bill that was passed last year by the Republican majority in Congress and signed by President Trump. That bill is going to have serious consequences on our community in Adams County. People are going to have to reauthorize their Medicaid, not every year, but every six months. Our public health officials are concerned that many people will fall through the cracks and lose their health benefits. Even if you're not on Medicaid, even if you are doing well, this is going to affect you. Health insurance costs are going to rise because people who are falling through the cracks are no longer going to be able to get preventative health care. They're going to have to come to the emergency room. They're not going to be able to pay their bills. And we are going to foot those bills. We're seeing some of the effects of that already. Just last week, the council learned that the city of Thornton's health insurance is going to go up by 18%. Our staff is going to have to pay 18% more if we approve this budget with a significantly lower benefits. That's very concerning to me. So I just want all of you to know that this is not just an issue for the people who are on Medicaid, but we're all in this together. And I'm not exactly sure how we're gonna get through it, but it certainly helps to have a community come here and let us know. It's gonna impact everybody in a different way. and um it's important for i think for you all to let us know how it's impacting you your family your friends your neighbors uh it helps guides us on what to do and and how we might be able to have a better outcome so that was a very meaningful meeting for me so i just wanted to share that with you i also serve on the national league of cities in information technology and Communications Federal Policy Committee. That's a mouthful, but essentially what that means is the National League of Cities is a national group of elected officials, mayors, and council members around the country who work together to move the needle when it comes to federal policy. Technology background, I've been appointed to serve on this committee and we discussed resolutions regarding very important topics like municipal broadband, local control, and yes, even data center policy. So we'll continue that work at the national level. And I can say that this concern about data centers is not just local to Colorado, it's around the country. And I think all of you know that already. And the National League of Cities, my colleagues around the country are also having these exact same discussions in their council chambers. And so last thing I want to mention is I attended the Dr. Cogg Denver Regional Council of Governments Awards. It was an honor to see all the different amazing projects recognized by the Council of Governments. This year, Thornton did not win an award. We won awards previously. But I was there to cheer on my neighbors and my colleagues from other cities and to learn about programs that maybe we could bring here to serve you all in Thornton. So it's been a very busy week. Thank you all once again for coming in and sharing your experiences and letting us know how you feel. I encourage you to keep coming and stay engaged, and I appreciate everybody's advocacy.

Thank you. Council Member Salazar? While ribbon cuttings and photo ops make for great headlines, my focus remains on the hard work of protecting my community. Pausing new data center approvals gives us the necessary time to craft smart, protective policies before it's too late. The existing facilities already have the capacity to carry all the current AI workloads. So we shouldn't rush into sacrificing our precious water resources or placing heavier burdens on our most vulnerable working class neighborhoods. So I want you to know that I have listened to every one of you tonight. So I will be voting yes on the moratorium this evening. Thank you.

Mayor Pro Temayala.

Thank you. First of all, I want to thank the residents of Farmington for inviting me and John Elgy to their barbecue, their end of summer bash, and what we're now calling Farmington Fest in Farmington. It's a smaller neighborhood just east of Riverdale. They had great food. They had snow cones. It was really fun to be able to work the snow cone machine for the kids and serve them snow cones during that event. And so I just love seeing community events like this because it's an opportunity for us to visit with neighbors and to see how they're building community in their own way, which is just super important, I think, for all of our different communities throughout Thornton to kind of get together. come up with your own ways of celebrating your neighborhood so just really enjoyed that and i just wanted to thank them all for inviting us i also want to take some time tonight to thank you all for coming and sharing your ideas around data centers with us here at the council i've been a resident of thornton for 39 years and it sounds crazy as i say it so i understand the concerns many of you have when it comes to watching how our city is growing and the different ways that it's been built. And I, you know, through my youth, had many concerns myself about the way things were built and the land use. And one of the main reasons I ran for city council was because I wanted to make sure that we were building a city um for our people and our families and our community and sometimes i didn't see that and you know once you get in here and you see how the sausage is actually made it really starts to come more clear about why decisions are made and how things happen after you get elected you quickly realize that many of these issues are a lot more complicated than just how they appear on the surface And so there are legal requirements we have to look at. There's land use rules. There's rights of property owners. And there's a lot of different interests that we have to balance when we're making decisions. But that being said, I want to do everything within my ability to make sure that we regulate this industry as much as we can to protect our families, our environments, and our community. And so I believe our values and concerns have a lot in common. We have to protect the land. We have to protect the air and water. I want to make sure that we're growing responsibly. And I want to make sure that our neighborhoods are built for people and not simply for corporate profit. I also believe we need to work closely with our city attorney to understand that we legally can and cannot do things, what we legally can and cannot do when it comes to some of these issues. One of those, I've heard a few times tonight, a five-year moratorium. When I saw that, I brought it to our council, and that... could be something that we can't necessarily do. The last thing I'd want to do is make a decision that would hold us fiscally responsible for something in a lawsuit. So we have to balance that, and that's kind of what I'm talking about. But that being said, this will take time. This moratorium is just a pause in order for us to develop the regulations we need to protect the community. I just want to be clear, there are not any applications right now to build a data center in the city of Thornton. So I kind of got that vibe from some folks, like, we're stopping something right now. There's nothing that's being built, so we're safe there. And this will buy us the time that we need in order to develop the regulations that will protect our community. I just like to be clear on exactly what we're doing and My hope is that through this process that we keep you all informed of exactly what's going on so there aren't any misunderstandings of what's happening in the city of Thornton. So there are not any applications on the table right now. And whether or not this passes tonight, I am in full... I fully feel in my heart that this council wants to work to build regulations to protect the city. I don't think there's anybody up here who's looking to... to make a decision in alignment with just building a bunch of data centers in the city of Thornton. So just know that in your minds, that we're going to work together. And that's my goal, is to work together with everybody in this council to build the best regulations we can, whether or not this passes or not tonight. So that's all I have to say about the moratorium. But I did also, since you all are here and you all care about the environment, On October 10th John LG and I are having another neighborhood cleanup at the community a community cleanup at Grandview ponds and It will be at 9 a.m. And that's 4401 East 104th Avenue, and it'll be from 9 a.m. To 11 a.m. And this is a good opportunity for folks to meet with John and I if you have any specific concerns around Ward 2 and If you have any concerns about data center regulations and you want to talk with us, well, we could do it while we're picking up trash. And I think it'll be better than last time because we did it in July and our faces melted off. So October will be a good time. We'll probably have some little treats because... teacher roberta likes to bring little treats so um i hope you all can since everybody's here tonight and cares about the environment please come and help us pick up trash in this beautiful open space that we're just trying to improve and preserve and keep beautiful for the city thank you councilmember algae

Well, I'm last this time. I'm like two weeks ago. I was first. So good evening, everyone. So I'll speak more about data centers after the resolution for the moratorium is read later this evening. With that being said, though, with what I'm wearing tonight, I am in full support of the moratorium. And I will talk more about that when we get to the resolution in a few minutes. So, we also have another Ward 2 event coming up October 1st with Mayor Portemaella and myself. I think it's at the Active Adults Center at 6 p.m. It's a Thursday evening. So, we'll talk more about that in two weeks at our next council meeting. So, two opportunities for Ward 2 neighbors to come hang out with us and to engage with us about any of the concerns you have, whether it's data centers, whether it's FLOC, whether it's trying to get light poles readjusted or... street or potholes paved or everything in between. So I want to thank everyone who has both spoken to us here in chambers this evening and those who have emailed us. Thank you. Public speaks is very important and I will always protect them regardless if I agree or disagree with neighbors. I'm hearing what Council Martinez said in his comments. So this is what democracy looks like. And accountability is a very important part of that. So once again, thank you. As Councilmember Russell mentioned, you know, I joined Councilmember Morris and him at the Ward 4 Walk in the Wards at Cherrywood Park and also at the Grab and Crab ribbon cutting and grand opening. Also, and Mayor Pro Tem Allen mentioned with Farmington HOA inviting us to their annual picnic. I want to thank Ryan Mader. He's not here tonight, but still he's their HOA lead. Thank him for that. I attended the first time last year when I was a candidate for council and It was great to be there as a council member for the first time. I met with several of our neighbors who I had not met before and I had positive dialogues with them and I addressed their concerns. I look forward to meeting with them again. I also attended East Lake Bites on the block. I helped Councilmember Morris with the mock butterfly release. And then I got to watch Councilmember Russell do a great job not only of emceeing the spaghetti eating contest, but winning. So once again, congrats, Chris. You really slayed it, and the positive vibe was felt by the crowd. Everybody was getting into it, and it was a really amazing time had by everybody. So I thank Drew and Chris. I thank you both for all the work that you've done. With bites on the block, and I also want to thank my predecessor, Jessica Sandgren, who attended as well, along with former Council Member Unrein, along with Council Member Martinez and Madam Mayor, Mayor Coleman. So a great evening. So I attended a couple of Colorado AFL-CIO events over the last week. Last Thursday, I attended their annual barbecue, which was hosted by Teamsters Local 455. I caught up with Senator Michael Bennet and the Democratic nominee for State Representative for House District 31, Gabriel Cervantes, along with other state legislators and candidates. And yesterday, for the fifth year in a row, I marched in the annual Labor Day parade in Louisville. And also Phil Weiser, the current Attorney General, he's, of course, a Democratic nominee for governor. And also Congressman Joe Neguse marched as well, along with other candidates and electeds. It was a great event. I broke bread and had a great picnic, heard a bunch of electeds speak about the Workers Protection Act. That's something that... I'll be testifying about next year at the state capitol. I'm also going to be testifying about data center regulations as well. I'll talk more about that shortly. So I didn't mention this at our last council meeting, but I was invited to apply for the Metro Mayor's Caucus and Civic Results 2026-27 Municipal Leadership Academy cohort class, and I was accepted. So we meet monthly through March. Our first meeting was on Zoom the end of July. Last month, we met in Alamosa at Adams State University. The topic was good governance with emphasis on the quasi-judicial process and Robert's Rules. We also toured the Rio Grande Farm Park and the water impacts that they are currently experiencing. The September meeting will take place tomorrow and Thursday. I'll be traveling first to the Headwater Center in Winter Park for a tour. Then we're going to the Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant near Grillingwood Springs. And then we'll finish up at Colorado Mason University for dinner, and we'll be meeting their president. And then we'll be having class there on Thursday. So very quickly, I want to condemn the attempted attack on Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dr. Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair in Canfield, Ohio on Sunday. I want to stress there is no place for political violence of any kind. How we do discourse is what we saw tonight in public speaks, this and the accountability portion. This is how democracy works, not by violence. My prayers go out to Sandra Wolf and her family as she will be undergoing surgery for her cancer tomorrow. There is no doubt in my mind that Sandra will win this battle. She's one of Thornton's OGs. She holds us accountable. She deeply loves and cares about this city. And we're rooting for you, Sandra. So this Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on our nation. The City of Thornton will be holding Remembrance at 8.30 a.m. across the way at Thornton PD headquarters. I will be attending. I'm also wearing the Colorado Firefighters Association lapel pin in commemoration and honor of our first responders and law enforcement. And thank you all for all you do for us. And this concludes my Council comments. Thank you.

Thank you. And a few updates from me this evening as well. The City is currently advertising for Parks and Open Space Advisory Commission for Ward 1, and the deadline to apply is September 21st. The Election Commission for Ward 2, the deadline to apply is September 25th. And Building Code Advisory Board for Ward 1, with a deadline to apply of September 25th. And all these deadlines are 5 p.m. So this is a great way to be able to get engaged within the City of Thornton. And I'm going to keep my comments on data centers for when we actually talk about the resolution tonight. I do want to say that as we have come to the end of another couple of busy weeks in Thornton, I have been reminded once again how much is happening across our community and how fortunate we are to have so many opportunities to be part of it. And one of the things that I really love about this job is the opportunity to get out in the community and see people engaged in our city. So whether it's a festival, a grand opening, a business award ceremony, or a community meeting, these events give us a chance to celebrate our successes, listen to our residents, and learn from the challenges that everyone is experiencing. And over the past couple of weeks, we've had some great examples of that. And you've heard from many of my colleagues this evening about that. The Denver Regional Council Government Awards, we recognize some very important work across the region. One of them was actually a project in Adams County, right next to the city of Thornton with the Mile High Flood District, where I chair the regional support of this important organization. We visited the Riverdale Animal Shelter, which I have to tell you, there are some really cute dogs and cats there. So if you're looking for a support pet, that would be a great place to go check them out. I almost walked out with three myself. We celebrated the ribbon cutting of the expansion of Stargate. This is a school that has been close in my heart for years, and they are doing incredible things with those students there. The Bites on the Block program was a fantastic event with all of the different vendors that we had across the city. This is kind of our taste of Thornton, where we get to sample all the wonderful things across the city and talk to a lot of our businesses. And I think I took the best picture of our fellow council member in his win with the spaghetti. I sent it to him, so he knows exactly what I'm talking about. It's pretty amazing, so ask him to share it with you at some point. I had the opportunity of swearing in the third class of the North Metro Police Academy. This is an incredible program that we have spent years developing It used to be we just worked with Thornton officers here in the city of Thornton, and then we would go out across the different counties to practice what we were teaching and figure out how we could get all of that training done without a location. As we built our training center in the city of Thornton, we did it specifically to make sure we were managing the training appropriately. As we were watching what was happening across the world and the country with police training, we wanted the best possible available for our police officers to make sure that they were trained in ways that our community needed for them to be successful. And I think we have done that above and beyond. We have expanded from the city of Thornton. We now are post-certified. We offer training across the region. We had officers from Westminster, from Oh, gosh, now, of course, I'm forgetting, but we had multiple groups in Broomfield, even Blackhawk, with officers that came and trained with our group here in the city of Thornton. So we're extremely proud of the work that they've done, and we're so honored to be able to train others in the way of community policing that we have brought to the city of Thornton. And then we had a great turnout at the Ward 4 meeting. It was great to see all of the residents. Ward 4 always shows up, so it's always great to hear what they have to say and love talking with each and every one of you. And each of these events represents a different part of our community. And I appreciate everyone who takes the time to participate, volunteer, show up, and make Thornton a stronger city. And finally, this Friday, we will pause to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001. We'll remember the lives lost, honor the courage of the first responders who ran towards danger, and we will recognize the lasting impact on the families and communities across our nation. And it's very important that we never forget. So with that, I'm going to move on. Item 10 is quasi-judicial public hearings, and there are no quasi-judicial public hearings this evening. Item 11 is legislative public hearings. There are no legislative public hearings this evening. Item 12 is staff reports, and there are no staff reports this evening. 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.

Approval of the consent calendar as presented has been moved and seconded clerk.

Please read the appropriate titles into the record and pull the council in ordinance, approving the annexation of approximately 26 acres of land situated on the Southeast quarter of section 22 township 1 South range. 68 West of the 6 principal Meridian county of Adams state of Colorado, generally located on the Southwest corner of East 140th Avenue and Washington street. and assigning the annex property to Ward 4, Creekside Gardens Annexation. An ordinance approving a zoning amendment with the associated overall development plan and plan development standards for approximately 29 acres of land generally located on the southwest corner of East 140th Avenue and Washington Street, Creekside Gardens Annexation. Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed unanimously, Your Honor.

Thank you. Item 14 is action items. Item 14A is an ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium on the submission, acceptance, processing, or approval of any applications to the City of Thornton for any permit, license, plan approval, or other type of approval related to new or expanding of data centers. I'll turn this over to Jessica Whitney, our interim city attorney, to present this item.

Yes, thank you, Council. Before we begin the presentation tonight, I do just want to provide a little bit of background. We've had several discussions about data centers and potential actions going forward related to the development of these data centers. First, what is a data center? A general definition is it is a specialized facility that houses networked servers, computers, and related infrastructure needed to support digital services such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, streaming, and banking. Council has discussed this issue at three prior meetings, July 21st, August 25th, and September 1st. At the July 21st meeting, staff presented Council with essentially three options. The first was to take no action at this time. if council takes no action the city would review any application that comes in under the development code that is currently in effect and right now data center isn't a defined term in the code but it is included without qualification within the light industrial use category and there that use is permitted as a use by right in business park employment center legacy and industrial legacy zone districts. It is also permitted on a limited basis in mixed use, but only up to 10,000 square feet and as part of a retail center, making that district an unlikely location for any type of larger data center. The second option would be to direct staff to develop regulations without adopting a formal moratorium. If council desires direct staff to prepare regulations and an application is filed before those regulations are adopted, then the city may be able to rely on what is known as the pending ordinance doctrine. And under that doctrine, a municipality may, under certain circumstances, hold an application sort of in abeyance while the proposed regulations are being considered. This can prevent an applicant from avoiding a proposed regulation simply by filing before it's formally adopted. And the third option presented was to adopt a moratorium. And at that meeting on July 21st, Council directed staff to draft a 12-month moratorium, which was then discussed in more detail over those next couple of meetings. And I don't have a clicker here. Can I just tell you, next slide. So next slide, please. One more, please. Thank you. So first, we'll talk a little bit about what is a moratorium. A moratorium is a temporary pause on accepting or approving certain types of development applications. This gives the city time to study an issue, gather community input, and decide whether its regulations should be updated before additional development moves forward. A moratorium does not permanently prohibit a use. Next slide, please. In this case, the proposed moratorium would remain in effect for 12 months, and unless ended earlier by ordinance, would expire on September 22, 2027. And during that time period, it would temporarily prohibit new data centers larger than 50,000 square feet, as well as the physical expansion of existing data centers. And applications that fall outside of that scope would continue to be reviewed under the existing development code. And that is the ordinance that is being presented tonight for council's consideration. And at this time, you have a few options. You can vote to approve the ordinance as written. You may amend the ordinance or vote no on the ordinance or really any options in between. And that is the end of my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions that council may have. Are there any questions from council? Mayor Potamayala.

Thank you for the presentation. You know, we have a lot of audience members here. So would you be able to just kind of like clarify for council and for the folks here why a moratorium should stay within the parameters of about 12 to 18 months?

Yes, of course. A moratorium is subject still to that legal principle that we talk about quite often in land use, which is a governmental taking. And in order to avoid a claim of a governmental taking, any moratorium must last only long enough as is reasonably necessary to accomplish its purpose, and it must be enacted in good faith. And that is generally found to be about a year to 18 months. I know there has been discussion about a five-year moratorium, there was a Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court did, the Supreme Court of Colorado, I should note, did strike down a five-year moratorium and found that that would likely be too long of a moratorium to be reasonable to conduct the research necessary to come up with regulations.

Council Member Morris.

I just have a series of questions like to ask the staff. First one, are there any current applications that have been submitted to our city that are active?

I can answer that, but Mike Garrett is also here.

Good evening, Mayor, Mayor of Town Council, Mike Garrett, Planning Director. Currently, there are no applications with the city or pending with the city.

Got it. Are there any conversations happening with any data centers, developers who are interested in building a data center in Thornton?

Not at this time.

Would you say that there is an imminent danger of a data center being built in our city right now?

Since there's no application, I wouldn't see there as a danger of somebody building one at this time.

Okay. This might be for the city attorney. Are there any recent Colorado cases where pending ordinance doctrine was challenged or overturned for a city?

The most recent case I've been able to find on the pending ordinance doctrine was back in the 90s, and it did not really overturn reliance on the pending ordinance doctrine, but the pending ordinance doctrine is similar in that you can only sort of rely on it as long as reasonably necessary to create regulations.

Sure. Thank you. Let's see. In Thornton's history, have we ever used a moratorium in response to similar resident concerns around water use, environmental impact, traffic, infrastructure concerns, noise, pollution when it came to projects like apartments, warehouses, or other commercial development?

I don't know of any other time, no. We did enact the residential, oh my gosh, I'm just forgetting the term. Pacing. Growth pacing. Growth pacing, thank you. But not a full moratorium to my knowledge.

If we were to instead propose a resolution that directed staff to create new regulations that govern the construction and operations of data centers in our city, would this also accomplish the same goal of creating regulations to protect our city, its residents, and its resources?

That would invoke what you asked about before, which is the pending ordinance doctrine. And so during the time that staff is working on those regulations, staff would tell any applicant, we cannot review your application right now. We are currently working on regulations that will be presented to council. And so in that sense, yes, the city would not review any applications during the time that they are working on regulation.

Okay, great. So bottom line is we'd still be protected as a city?

In the sense that we would not review any applications, correct, yes.

Okay, thank you.

Council Member Martinez?

Yes, my question is about the length of the proposed ordinance. So we have a 12-month moratorium in this ordinance. Does the council have the authority to extend the moratorium if needed? Prior to the expiration of... Yeah, prior. Let's say six months from now, we're doing our work and we realize there's a lot more work that we need to be done. How would that work? Does the council have the authority to extend it through another ordinance or would we modify? Yes. What would the legal process for that be?

Yes. If you were going to amend any enacted ordinance, you could do so by another ordinance. Okay.

Thank you. Mayor Pro Temayala? My question was similar to Council Member Martinez. Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that everybody understands that if we're in the middle of creating policy, we have the ability to extend it. So I think you answered the question. So thank you. Council Member Algi?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. This is for Jessica. So what's the level of legal protection for our city with with the three proposals, which one of the three will give us the strongest legal protection?

Strongest legal protection meaning, I guess, can you explain a little bit more what you mean?

So I did email Jessica for more clarification about that. So let me go to the email real quick.

I would just caution, please don't reveal any attorney and client privilege information.

Okay, never mind. Yeah, so, okay, if that's the case, I will stop there. I won't completely stop there. I will not read. So of the three proposals, which do you feel will give the city the strongest legal protection, let's say, if a developer comes in? Is that a proper wording?

Well, a moratorium provides the clearest direction because it is limited in scope and duration. So the moratorium is cleaner.

Okay. Yep. Excellent. Outstanding. Thank you, ma'am.

Council Member Byrd?

The community has reached out a lot about the impact that it's going to have on environmental resources, noise issues. Being that this would be directly towards data centers only if we do a moratorium, if a company that wanted to do manufacturing came in and they wanted to do a 10 gigawatt facility, would this prevent them from doing so?

Any other type of, as long as they complied with other zoning regulations, no.

Is there anything the city could do from an energy perspective to tell somebody that they couldn't use a certain amount of energy coming into the buildings?

No.

Okay. For water usage, I share this concern with everyone. Have we had any kind of companies come into the city in the past that caused us to change our water usage?

Yes, we have. I can either discuss our commercial water use code provisions or Mike Garrett can provide additional information about the specifics of that business. Which would you prefer?

Well, the business itself caused a water usage change. So let's go into that one instead of the actual business itself.

Great. Yes, Thornton does have a code provision wherein if any commercial user uses more than 10 acre feet of water per year, they have to enter into a water use agreement with the city. And really what happens is if they're going to use more than, if they anticipate they will be using more than 10 acre feet a year, city staff sits down looks at the projected water use and determines whether or not the city can support that water use. And if they feel that we can, then they will go through, we will create a water use agreement that has a range of, you know, that specifies the amount of water that can be used per year. And if a company does exceed that water, there's a range of penalties that go all the way from a you know, a fine or, you know, the charge of the highest water rate all the way to shutting off a company's water potentially. Following proper procedures. Point of information.

Can we clarify what 10 acre feet is so that we all understand that number in terms of gallons per year?

Three million. Three million gallons per year.

About three million gallons a year. Okay. Thank you.

So with that being in place, we couldn't have someone like Coca-Cola come in and just drain the water usage without us being able to go, hey, you can't utilize that unless we went through the approval process to go, yeah, we can't afford to use that water.

Yes, there would be staff, as long as, I'm assuming that they would be using more than 10 acre feet. Yes, there would be staff analysis and a water use agreement.

Gotcha. In one of the other areas that has been brought up a lot has been noise. Do we have anything in place to prohibit companies from having noise that would be bothersome based on any company, not necessarily just a data center?

We do have a noise ordinance that's effective both day and night.

And that affects just any kind of business in general?

Any type of business. It could be a resident as well. It's a general noise ordinance for the city.

Just to clarify on this too, because I got commented on by a local business owner who owns a car wash, and that applies to car washes as well. That's correct. So all of the areas that are in place that people have concerns about, specifically the data centers are the problem, there's nothing stopping other businesses from coming in and having these exact same problems?

a noise perspective no but they'd be enforced just like any other use user would be same with water water like if they exceed the 10 acre feet they need to go through the water agreement otherwise they'd be treated just like another water user great thank you are there any additional questions from council council member salazar

Sorry. So on the noise ordinance, what is the amount of decibels that we control?

I'm trying to remember the exact number off the top of my head. I think it's around 60 decibels. It depends on what time of the day it occurs. And that's enforced by the police department. So when there is a noise complaint, they do a check on those potential violations.

Okay. Also, um, the policy on the 10 acres, we have a right as council to change that. Correct.

Uh, uh, through a code amendment. Yes, you do.

Thank you. All right. Any additional questions? Right. Council member Martinez, would you please introduce item 14 a.

yes i'd like to introduce an ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium on the submission acceptance processing or approval of any applications to the city of thornton for any permit license plan approval or other type of approval related to or new or expanding of data centers and i move for its approval second approval of the ordinance on first reading has been moved and seconded i'll open it for discussion councilmember martinez you have the option to go first as you made the motion okay You know, a couple months ago, I introduced this potential moratorium to the Council after meeting with various residents throughout the community and them sharing their concerns about this trend of data centers being developed throughout the country. It's no secret, everybody's reading about data centers and the problems they may or may not be causing around the country. There are lots of different perspectives out there. It's really hard to identify the facts from speculation, but one fact that really resonates with me is the number of people united across all different political perspectives and experiences about their concern for these developments in their community. To me, that was a shining, blinking red flag that we should look into what that might mean for our community right here in the City of Thornton. The fact is, if a data center were to make an application under the right circumstances, that could be approved without anybody having an opportunity to speak at a public hearing under the current regulations. Now, that's not the case for every single type of application, but having that potential outcome was not acceptable to me given the temperature of this conversation, given the concern that people have come to me. So I introduced this idea to the council that we should really look into what it actually means to have a data center in here and what the potential externalities are of living next to one and is our existing code and regulations suitable for that particular use. And I don't think we have the time to answer those questions. That's where the idea of a moratorium comes up. It gives us the time and the opportunity for our expert staff to dig into potential effects of this truly uh this unique land use and um you know it goes beyond just you know water and energy use i'm glad that the topic of noise was brought up yes we have a noise ordinance that is in place and uh data centers may or may not violate that noise But the question is, what are the penalties for that noise? If a data center comes in and they're really loud under our current existing rules, do they have enough teeth for the data center to even care about that? Or are they just going to pay the fine and continue on business as usual? same same with all the other water land use elements of that are our zoning districts suited for data centers do they require a special use permit these are really important questions that we owe answers to on the community we can't just answer them you know with a haphazard approach. I think most importantly out of all the different issues that we've heard from the community is we need to provide ample opportunity and time for our residents, our businesses, all the stakeholders who are involved with data center development to have a forum to communicate to the city, the impacts. Everybody's gonna have different impacts on that. Neighbors, families are gonna have one. Businesses are gonna have it. We need to know. And if we don't take the time and deliberately carve out those exercises, I think that we're gonna be doing all the stakeholders involved, especially the neighbors and residents, a disservice. So that's why I brought this up. That's why I've always been in favor of it. And if this passes, I want everybody to know that this is just the beginning. We're gonna need everybody here and throughout the community to come weigh in on this in a more formal capacity. We need to know how this may impact your lives because as we craft these regulations, if this moratorium were to pass, we're gonna ultimately make a decision that will impact everybody's lives. one way or the other. So we want to make sure that we do it right. And so I think that's why a moratorium is the most prudent and risk-averse approach to this. As long as you keep the priority, the well-being and the safety of our residents top of mind, there's no doubt in my mind that we need to have a moratorium.

Council Member Morris.

I definitely believe Council should develop clear regulations before Thornton is confronted with a project that's potentially put under pressure. If we're going to use a moratorium to create that time, I want the ordinance itself to clearly define what we intend to accomplish. So I do have several amendments I'd like to explore. I'd like to make a motion to amend the moratorium timeframe from 12 months to six months.

Is there a second? Second. Thank you. A motion has been made to amend the ordinance from 12 months to six months, and it has been seconded. I'll allow the discussion on that. Councilmember Morris?

All right. One of the stated reasons during our discussions for this 12-month moratorium is that the Colorado General Assembly may consider data center legislation during the 2027 session. I don't find that to be a compelling reason to wait. Thornton is a home rural municipality. Our charter gives us broad powers of local self-government, and our own development code expressly identifies land use regulation and zoning with Thornton as a matters deeply connected to home rural. I think we should act like a home rural city. We on our own are able to begin determining where data centers should be or not be located, and what standards should apply to things we all care about, things like water use, infrastructure impacts, noise, setbacks, and any other adverse impacts to our community. If the General Assembly later adopts legislation that lawfully changes our regulations, we can look at amendments at that time. It's not uncommon for cities to amend ordinances when state or federal law changes. But I don't think Thornton should leave a blank page in our own code for a year because we're waiting to see what someone else might write on theirs. We don't need to wait for the state to make them first. Home rules should mean local leadership, not local waiting. Can I move for its approval?

Is there any additional discussion on the motion that is on the floor? And I have captured everybody in the order that they had pushed their button originally on the original motion. All right, can you please pull the Council on the motion on the floor to change the ordinance from 12 months to six months?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion failed, three to six, Your Honor.

Thank you. Council Member Morris, please continue your comments.

I'd like to make a motion to amend section five of the ordinance with two changes. First, to remove the phrase, quote, if directed to do so by city council, end quote. I also move to add the following elements to section five. Quote, within 90 days of the effective date of this ordinance, staff shall present to City Council an initial regulatory gap analysis. Within 180 days of the effective date of this ordinance, staff shall present proposed permanent regulations for consideration by City Council, end quote.

And you move for its approval?

I move for approval. Second.

Okay, it has been a motion. A second amendment motion has been made on the floor for two changes to Section 5. Make sure I get this correct, please. The change in the notice from directed by City Council to remove that provision?

That's right.

and then to add a requirement for a gap analysis within 90 days and a return from the staff within 180 days. Is that correct?

That's right.

The motion has been made and seconded. I'll open that for discussion. Council Member Morris.

All right, the reason I'm proposing this amendment, it's pretty straightforward. If we believe our regulations are inadequate enough to justify stopping new applications, then I believe this ordinance should actually direct the city to fix those regulations. As currently written, section five directs the city manager to investigate the issue, but says regulations would only be prepared, quote, if directed to do so by city council. I don't think council should have to come back later and give a second direction to do the very thing we're saying the moratorium is intended to give us time to accomplish. I also believe setting milestones is important in this ordinance. 90 days gives staff time to come back and tell us where our existing regulations are actually inadequate and what policy questions council needs to answer. 180 days gives us a clear expectation that permanent regulations should be ready for council consideration. As I've always said, we should get to work on this right away, writing Thornton's rules based on Thornton's needs, and this proposed amendment helps accomplish that.

Any additional discussion? Would you please poll the council on the second amendment?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion failed, four to five, Your Honor.

Thank you. And Council Member Morris, please continue your comments.

All right, move to amend the ordinance by removing the word submission from the title and from section two. And by adding language to section two, clarifying that the moratorium does not prohibit pre-application meetings, conceptual discussions, technical consultation, or other non-binding review with city staff. And move for its approval. Second.

All right, the motion has been made and seconded to remove the word submission from the title and then to add language in section two, removing the prohibition on

Application discussion, that's right clarifying that the moratorium does not prohibit pre-application meetings conceptual discussions technical consultation or other non-binding review with city city staff miss Whitney Just just to clarify.

Did you also want the removal of the term? Submission in paragraph 2 where it says a moratorium is imposed upon the submission acceptance processing.

Yes, I

Thank you. That motion has been made and seconded. Is there any additional discussion?

Yes. The reason I'm proposing this amendment is that I do not think that a moratorium should mean our staff stops talking to the very people who understand how these facilities are actually designed and built. If the purpose of this moratorium is to develop better regulations, then I want staff gathering as much real-world information as possible during that period. A prospective applicant may bring us information about cooling systems, water demand, electrical loads, building design, noise, generators, landscaping, infrastructure needs, or technologies that we have not yet considered. Those conversations may expose regulatory gaps that we need to address. They may also show us where an assumption we are making does not fit every type of facility. I don't want the city granting development rights during the time we are creating regulations, of course, but I also don't want us putting up a wall and saying we won't even engage with people who may help us write more effective and protective regulations. If we're going to regulate an industry intelligently, we should be willing to understand the industry while we're writing the rules. Thank you.

Any additional discussion? Would you please call the council on this item?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion failed, four to five, Your Honor.

Thank you. Council Member Morris, please continue your comments on the original motion on the floor.

All right, I do appreciate the discussion tonight, but I cannot support the ordinance in its current form. I want to be equally clear that my vote is not a vote against data center regulation. I support effective and protective regulations. I care about how Thornton builds out. I care about protecting our water, infrastructure, neighborhoods, and public resources. And I want council to be intentional about where high impact uses belong and what standards they must meet. My concern is with the tool we are using to get there. I propose these amendments because if Council is going to use a moratorium, I believe it should be narrower, more accountable, and more directly tied to the work we say we want accomplished. I wanted a shorter time frame because I believe Thornton should exercise its home rule authority and make its own land use decisions rather than build a year-long pause, partly around the state legislature. I wanted clear 90 and 180-day milestones because if we are restricting applications while regulations are being developed, then the ordinance should clearly require that regulatory work to happen. And I want to preserve pre-application and technical discussions because I believe better information leads to better regulation, which is, I believe, what we all want here. Without those protections, I believe the ordinance becomes broader and more restrictive than is necessary for the actual risk in front of us. We have no pending applications and none expected. The city attorney has also explained that a sufficiently definite regulatory process may provide protection through the pending ordinance doctrine if an application is later submitted. That alternative may not provide the same absolute certainty as a moratorium, but I believe it is a more appropriate fit for our current circumstances. So I believe the better path is for council to adopt a resolution directing staff to immediately begin developing permanent data center regulations. That resolution should be detailed, time bound, and specific enough to create clear legislative direction and preserve the city's ability to pause a future application while those regulations are under development. That approach still protects Thornton, it still allows us to regulate water use, infrastructure, noise, location, setbacks, landscaping, design, and other potential adverse impacts. It still allows us to shape how our city builds out, but it does so through a more targeted tool. My position is not do nothing. My position is to do the regulatory work now, protect the city while we do it, and use the least restrictive tool necessary to accomplish that same goal. Thank you.

Council Member Martinez, did you want to speak again? I didn't clear you before. Okay. Council Member Byrd.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I have a couple things I would like to go through. This is that based on the questions that we've gotten feedback from, we don't control the energy consumption that comes through any kind of a business that comes in. We already have regulations around noise. Water seems to be our biggest concern. When trying to put new regulations in place, because that's been the ask of other council members who are here, all of them were shot down just now. One of the few things I think that I'm probably ever going to say at this point is one of our council members made a great point. we as a council can make change to the water use agreement, and it can be done immediately in the next meeting. So instead of doing a performative 12-month political game, if resources and water is the concern, that can be done at our next formal council meeting. So I think that the idea of this moratorium is a game, and if the real concern is the resources and things that we can fix, then we can have that done by next week.

Councilmember Algi?

Thank you, Madam Mayor. So, you know, I have seen and followed specifically in the state that I have spent the majority of my life in, Ohio, and the inundation of data centers there, over 200 in operation, under construction or proposed. I have weighed over the last two years both the economic and environmental impacts, positive and negative, short-term and long-term. I've followed this before I even considered running for this seat. Many of the municipalities and states throughout the nation were ill-prepared for both the scope and speed of the applications being turned in by developers. That is precisely the scenario I want to avoid here in Thornton. And once again, I am voting in support of this moratorium as written. At the end of the day, both the potential negative environmental impacts along with heavy bipartisan opposition nationwide and neighbor input and majority opposition here at home, along with my personal concerns brought me to this point. A one-year moratorium allows us to structure regulations around outcomes from cities with data centers built recently. It also will give our staff ample time to craft and update ordinances that will ensure proper regulations that will protect both neighbors and our city, allow our new governor, attorney general, and state legislature to propose and write legislation that will ensure uniformity on data center regulations with an emphasis on protecting local control. The moratorium will also ensure transparency with neighbors and allow us as your council members to have the conversations necessary for us to have responsible and conscious growth, not just in data centers, but in everything we have concerning that. Leadership is listening and engaging our neighbors. Leadership is collaborating with our neighboring municipalities and counties, along with the state legislature and Congress, to find amicable solutions and regulations, not going it alone. Leadership means getting it right the first time. We will not get it right if we go it alone. The stakes are way too high to make a mistake. So in closing, I humbly ask my colleagues to vote in support of the moratorium and place our fellow neighbors first. Thank you.

Mayor Pro Tem Ayala. Thank you. I'll be voting in support of the moratorium for 12 months, but I just want to make it clear that if we don't get to work on this as soon as possible, I agree with my colleagues that we're not going to have enough time to get things done properly for the City of Thornton. So I do want to make sure that we have as much community input as possible. But I just feel like there's a sense of urgency here. I don't necessarily think making the moratorium shorter is going to help it be more urgent. I think that us having more time just in case is, you know, just working in a way that's a little bit smarter just to make sure that we have that kind of like time gap to close things up and get the right policy in place, but I think the thing is that folks don't understand is with or without this right now, we still don't have to accept any applications because we're working on policy. So I just want for folks to understand that, that really the real thing here is working with us as council members to bring the regulations you want to see as opposed to just the moratorium. That's almost, I mean, it's going to get us time, but it's kind of a nothing burger unless we have the policy in place to Make sure that we're doing the things we need to do to stop this in the first place We could end up at 12 months and not have any policy finish and end up in a position where an application comes in We have to accept it. So I will be supporting this but folks need to understand that this conversation is not over tonight We have to keep working diligently to make sure that we put the right policy in place back in July I went to Baltimore and was working or went to a conference of local progress. And I have a lot of great ideas on things that are gonna be restricting these data centers in a way that's gonna make our community safer and cleaner and healthier. My hope is that I can work together with council here to get some of these things enacted. Not everybody's going to agree on everything. We're a council of nine different people. So my hope is that we can work together. And so what I'm going to ask of this community is to come to us with respect and kind of in your heart the ability to work with the council so we can all work together to get something done. What I think won't help is if we're pointing fingers and kind of having this culture around saying who's better than who else or whatever. I just think we need to work together to make sure we're doing the right thing for the city of Thornton. I am definitely in support of this as far as us having the time to create the policy. But my hope is that the community continues to come and we continue to have a conversation and talk about the matter at hand and bring real life issues to our city that are happening in our city to the conversation so we can make the best policy for the people of our city. So I guess I'm in support of it, but I just want you to know the work starts tonight. It's not over. Thank you.

Council Member Acunto.

Thank you, Mayor. I want to begin by thanking everybody who came tonight and everyone who contacted Council. I heard the concerns about drought, water consumption, electrical capacity, noise, air emissions, wildlife, property values, jobs, infrastructure, costs and transparency. Those subjects deserve serious consideration. They also deserve some factual accuracy. Thornton is under a Stage 1 drought restriction, that is a fact, and it's a legitimate concern. What it does not establish is that every data center consumes the same amount of water. Some facilities use evaporative cooling, others use air-cooled, dry-cooled, hybrid or closed-loop systems with far lower continuing water demands. Any applicant should be required to disclose those water source, annual and peak consumption, cooling design, construction use, etc. The Cheyenne contamination incident was also repeatedly referenced. That incident didn't occur, but of course context was left out. A contractor commissioning Mehta's facility discharged the contaminated flush water into the reclaimed water system. That system supplies irrigation water, not drinking water, and the incident was not a result of the operation of the facility. The same problem occurred with electrical grid claims. We were told that data centers caused rolling blackouts from Chicago to Miami. This did not happen. A transmission line failure in northern Virginia caused a large concentration of data centers to disconnect almost simultaneously. The abrupt loss of demand contributed to the voltage fluctuations. It did not cause rolling blackouts from Chicago to Miami. Furthermore, on July 14th, This year, the Democratic Left, a publication affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, published an article titled, quote, How DSA Organizes Against Data Centers, end quote. The article reported on a national organization called by, hosted by the DSA, Eco-Socialism Transition Committee, and described how local chapters, are using opposition to data centers to build political support. This article frames data centers as a part of a billionaire agenda, connects them to surveillance and climate concerns, emphasizes water and household utility bills, calls for moratoriums, recommends presenting the campaign as broadly a popular issue, and discusses using these campaigns to remove council members and elect DSA-supported candidates. Those same themes were repeated throughout tonight's testimony billionaires against working people water for residents rather than corporations higher utility bills surveillance environmental destruction moratoriums and political consequences for council members who refuse to support the campaign I'm not suggesting that every person that spoke tonight belongs to the DSA. What I'm saying is, though, their testimony does not occur in a vacuum. Much of the language and framing closely follows a published national organization. Finally, to address the political ultimatum made tonight, One speaker proudly identified himself as the Adams County Democrat Socialist America. He told this council that if we had a choice between serving the working class and serving billionaires, and that anyone voted against this moratorium would be challenged and ousted. He said that wasn't a threat, but a commitment and a promise. Calling an ultimatum something else does not change the message. The message is clear. Vote the way our organization demands or else. To my fellow council members that align politically with the speaker, remember, do as you're told. No independent thought is allowed. This is the new Democratic Party. I do not respond to political threats. I don't care. The Democratic Socialists of America do not own the working class.

I'm going to ask the audience to allow the council member to continue.

Touch the nerve. Touch the nerve. and you do not speak for every working family in Fortin. I was not elected to take instructions from the DSA or any other political organization. I was here to represent people who support this moratorium, people who oppose it, and many other residents who are not in this room tonight. and my vote's not for sale, and it's definitely not through intimidation. You don't scare me, I don't really care. I've heard the concerns raised tonight. I support developing strong regulations addressing water, electricity, noise, emissions, infrastructure costs, setbacks, and transparency. I do not support a proposed blanket moratorium, and no political threat will change that vote.

Thank you. Council Member Salazar. I am going to, again, say that I'm going to support this, and I'm going to continue to ask you to come back week after week because that's what democracy looks like. So it's important that you keep coming because we need to hear from you. And I also want you to know that you need to come to the planning sessions because that's where a lot of this work will be done. So that's super important. If you can't show up, please listen online. Thank you. Council Member Russell?

First and foremost, I want to just thank all the resident engagement. This has been a long time coming for this evening's vote, but the conversations began months ago. They gathered more momentum. We've received lots of emails phone calls in person conversations. In my 3 years or so on council, it's. Probably up there top 3 and most discussed items in terms of with community and residents. But there were 2 individuals that spoke pretty significant to me tonight. A lot of the information is along. you know, the same basis of environmental and water. But there were two speakers tonight that I think took a slightly different approach. First being Dr. Rose. I believe Dr. Dr. Rose. and the work that he's done, studied, and then shared and enlightened us this evening. A second speaker was an epidemiologist who also touched on some new points. And while we can debate environmental energy, electricity use, water use, and perhaps there's new technology in the future to help minimize the impacts of those data centers, Those two speakers spoke on two things that I have not heard anybody rebuttal. So that, to me, is a clear statement that there are unresolved issues we don't know about yet. I'm still learning. We're literally at the goal line this evening, and I'm finding new information out. Additionally, I mentioned it earlier, we did a straw poll at our community meeting at Thorn Creek. I counted 86 residents in attendance, and it was four or five that seemed to have support for data centers, while everybody else raised their hand no. So when I take into the fact that I don't know everything that I don't know, because we're still learning a lot, it's hard to make a factual decision, and I think that's agreeable by everybody. If you don't have the facts, how can you make a decision? If you take a straw poll of all the residents, or at least a sample size of residents within your ward, and you're clocking 96% one way over the other, that also speaks to me at a high level. So given my experience over the last few months, as well as the meeting, the speakers, ultimately up here, every one of us serve at the pleasure of the electorate. So I will be supporting the moratorium because I have not been convinced otherwise, that I know all the facts and that we're ready to make a decision that could come with some consequences that are simply unknown at this point. So that's all I have.

Is there any additional discussion? and I'll wrap up with my comments. I do appreciate everyone that came out this evening, and to those that have reached out over email and phone over the last few months, including many members of the pipefitters, the steelworkers union, and members of the community, and I want to thank my fellow council members for their comments tonight as well, all of them. I've been following the communities around us, those that have done moratoriums like Broomfield, and those that have not done moratoriums like Aurora, and something that I've heard a lot is it's really not about a moratorium, it's about regulations. at least until it's about a ban. And I want to be clear that I am opposed to the moratorium before us tonight because I believe a moratorium in this case is more of a reaction to a growing conversation than it is good governance. I don't believe we should put a pause on a use. We don't currently have an application before us simply because we're concerned about what might come, especially when there are current options to hold applications even without a moratorium. That being said, I am in full agreement with many of the concerns that we've heard tonight, And what we've heard from my fellow council members is also full agreement on making sure that we are putting smart regulations in place, whether a moratorium is in place or not. We all agree that we need to update our regulations. Our existing ordinances were not written with data centers in mind, and we have an opportunity to thoughtfully address issues like water, noise, land use, infrastructure, and economic impacts, and even the long-term interests of our residents. And I want to reiterate, there are currently no data center applications before the City of Thornton. I also want to address the conversation about potential conflicts of interest. In my day job, I am employed by an electric cooperative, which is a not-for-profit organization, not to be confused with a certain large investor-owned utility. From the cooperative utility's perspective, load is load, regardless of the type of customer adding to the system, and there is no bonus for any additional load. In fact, my job is to maintain safe, reliable, efficient, and affordable electricity across our entire membership. no matter what load is or is not added. There are nine members of this city council for a reason, and we each bring different professional experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives from across our community. My experience in the electric utility industry is just one perspective at this table, and I believe that experience can help inform thoughtful decisions about the potential impacts of data centers. Ultimately, our responsibility as elected officials is to listen, evaluate the facts, and make decisions based on what is in the best long-term interest of Thornton residents. not simply follow the loudest voice in the room. And I believe we can reject this moratorium tonight while still taking seriously the concerns that we've heard and doing the work necessary to make sure that Thornton is prepared to appropriately regulate data centers if or when an application comes forward. Will you please pull the council?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed 5-4, Your Honor.

Thank you.

All right. Item 14B is an ordinance adopting the Fifth Amendment to the 2026 budget, amending Section 1 of Ordinance 3751, making appropriations for the City of Thornton, Colorado, for the fiscal year 2026. For all funds, accept that appropriations for certain individual projects shall not lapse at year end, but continue until the project is completed or canceled. I'll turn this over to Erica Sena, Budget and Operations Director, to present this item.

Good evening, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Council. So tonight I'm presenting the Fifth Amendment to the 2026 budget. This budget amendment includes three separate items. The first item appropriates $70,000 in the general fund to cover the cost of the special election covering the charter amendment of section 4.5 in which a council member or mayor will be deemed to have resigned and vacated their office upon formally declaring their candidacy for another elected office. The second item appropriates $57,388 in the governmental capital fund to purchase DUI enforcement equipment, such as dash cams, preliminary breath tests, and radars. This equipment is fully covered through the Law Enforcement Assistance Fund grant or LEAF grant. And then the third item appropriates $75,000 in the governmental capital fund to purchase and install a concrete pad and storage shed for the police training facility and program. These improvements are also fully covered through a post-capital grant program award. And with that, staff recommends approval of this ordinance on first reading, and we're happy to take questions.

Are there any questions from Council? Council Member Byrd.

The $75,000 for the shed, I'm glad that that's getting paid for by a grant because I don't know when sheds have skyrocketed in price so much recently because I don't recall paying that much for mine. How big is this shed going to be?

I would need to follow up with a council member on that.

For $75,000, I feel like we can build a four-car garage.

Ms. Hayward?

We're happy to follow up. I do want to clarify that it's not just the shed facility, it's the groundwork and the pad as well. But we can certainly provide that, the breakdown of all of the parts of the project.

Yeah, no, that would be great because, I mean, it seems excessive. Again, I'm glad it's being paid for by a grant, but... I mean, I had my entire back patio poured in a shed for nowhere near that pricing, so it's really high, especially considering we're looking at dash cams that are gonna cost $20,000 less, so.

Council Member Martinez.

Yeah, I agree with Councilmember Byrd's points about that, and I'm actually interested in seeing if we could either remove that from this particular budget amendment until we get the follow-up information, or if we can postpone this budget amendment altogether.

So procedurally, I believe it can be removed as it points on the motion that is made, but no motion has been made yet.

No, thank you.

Any additional questions? Councilmember Russell, would you please introduce item 14B?

Yes, I'd like to introduce an ordinance adopting the Fifth Amendment to the 2026 budget amending section one of the ordinance 3751 making appropriations for the City of Thornton, Colorado for fiscal year 2026 for all funds except that appropriations for certain individual projects should not lapse at year end, but continue until the project is completed or canceled. I ask for its approval. Second.

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

I have no additional comments on this.

Council Member Martinez.

I'm gonna make a motion to remove the police training facility storage shed from this budget amendment motion for consideration after a follow-up from staff about the details of this Shed and I move for its approval second I had the motion to remove this item the item for the police training facility storage shed from this part of the budget Amendment has been made and seconded I'll open it for discussion councilmember Martinez.

You have the option to go first as you made that motion I

I don't have any comments on that.

Council Member Alge, did you want to add or are you holding for the full motion on the floor?

No comment. After this, I'll make another comment for the next reading.

All right. So the motion has been made and seconded. Would you please pull the council on the amendment?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion failed. Four to five, Your Honor.

All right, so the original motion is on the floor. Would you, Council Member Alge, your comments related to that?

Okay, thank you for that. We'll strike that part. So even though I'm going to be supporting this budget amendment tonight still, I was in opposition to the $70,000 for the special election because of the date. I don't want to cry over spilled milk because I do want to respect the will of the body and the will of the people. But Because I am going to be voting for that $70,000 at the end of the day, but still, though I don't like it, I am going to respect the will of the body. I just want to state that for the record, and I will be supporting this amendment with that in mind.

Thank you.

Council Member Martinez? This will be your second time.

Sure, yeah, I just want to let everybody know that, you know, since we're not able, since the motion to remove this item for the $75,000 for the Training facility storage shed from the budget is included. I just, again, I think I have too many questions about that to be in support of this with that on this amendment.

Any additional discussion? I just thank you staff for doing the work to put this together. Would you please call the council?

Council, please cast your votes. Motion passed by majority 7 to 2, Your Honor.

Ms. Hayward?

I did just want to clarify for the council that had questions about the police and for anybody that's watching, because this was not a unanimous vote, it will become as an action item on the second reading. We'll make sure that that information is provided before second reading.

Thank you. I appreciate that. Item 15 is adjournment. Having no further business, we are adjourned at 9.37 p.m.