City Council - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Hey, hey, hey.

I didn't know. I'm sorry. I think that's why we installed I thought there's one up there. It says 639. Yeah, but I thought you up there, too.

No, we held off on this one because the mayor can read the just directly over not accurate. the right if it's not the right time. I guess you know what affordability We're great. We're ready.

Good evening and welcome to the April 13, 2026 pre meeting. Are there any questions for this evening's agenda? No. Excellent. Okay, moving on to city council reports. Uh, councelor Isadi, uh, do you have a report? Okay. Not enough. Oh, thank you councelor hot. No, councelor Brahas. Uh, so we're doing reports still like we haven't officially Oh, we haven't changed anything yet.

Okay, great. So, I do have some stuff that I'll say on the dis, but I wanted to uh throw a poll to this council. So, on Thursday, I spoke with um the um Adams County Community Resilience Department um particularly around uh their walking groups. And so, I'm excited to So, I was excited. I I'm deeply committed to kind of re you know re-engaging with uh this department. We did a training with them and that's how I in you know a couple of months ago and personally I did and that's how we started our local community walking group and it has pretty much really transformed our local neighborhood. It's been really nice. We know all of our neighbors know us. We know neighbors. It's it's been really great and it's just one kind of piece that this uh community resilience department kind of works on. So, what I would like to do is pull council to allow me to work with the city manager's office to uh plan and coordinate a brief introductory meeting uh and walking group experience. So, kind of recreating the training that they did though that was a dayong thing. This would be probably like a 2-hour thing and uh you know with the goals of understanding what the program does um understanding what a walking group is and this experience this brief experience would be for city leadership for city council uh and for uh Adams County stakeholders. So we would kind of curate an experience for for whoever can attend and obviously anyone kind of around this table is would be encouraged and invited and um then depending on how that goes I can then come back to council with other policy ideas and kind of ask permission for kind of bigger uh programmatic stuff. But this is uh a real low stakes I I think it's just it it would all in all it would take more than three hours. So, I just wanted to ask uh council for direction and approval and then I can work one-on-one with the city manager's office uh to get that done. So, that's

the poll I would like to ask. Thank you. Um all right. Uh we'll do that real quick and then we'll finish our council reports. Um if you're comfortable, Christine Ireland, did you want to I'm just asking what kind of experiences are you suggesting? Do you mean like after this is over there for a group for the walk or

so the uh I mean I would kind of coordinate with Adams County with that department and and the city manager office to really nail it down but initially in my mind it would be kind of like a 30-minute meeting here a 45minute walk around this area. So we would do some of the crosswalks, kind of walk together um as a group, do some of the reflective practices that the you know the walking groups tend to do and then come back here and have probably like a 30-minute debrief. So it would be okay. So this like kind of like our business walks but

yeah but this is more for community like for knowing each other you know and seeing what can be modeled. The idea would be this could potentially be modeled programmatically outside of this group. This is just to kind of so everyone when I do bring up policy direction around this people have a understanding of what I'm asking for. I'm fine with it. Okay. Yes.

I'm good with the initial. I'm just wanting to caveat with the overall efforts that we have with outreach and how this programmatically might fit in. So, I'm just going to be cautious about just making sure we have the bandwidth for it and um would love to see something built towards having you know community navigation and um an outreach like this. Um but I definitely would defer to kind of how we employ it over time. Do you want to Okay. Um and I don't know if you were waiting for feedback is what I was pausing for, but Oh, no. That's just my okay my thought there.

Mayor and mayor, sorry to speak to Mayor Porton's comment. Um if council directed, we would work on this and there would be a report back to city council as to what what were the learned experiences, what would be um possible moving forward. Yeah, that's great. And and there is since we're we the idea would be we're partnering with Adams County Community Resilience Program that already has kind of stuff, we could potentially just lean into some of their existing programming, invite them a little bit more deeply into the city, uh and then try to find ways to really streamline. The goal of this would not to be kind of to add on. It would be to really just kind of enforce and influence what we're already doing for like grab their capacity. Yep. That would be a great kind of kind of first move on it for sure.

Okay, great. Uh I this fits in so well to our goals of engagement with the community and uh really enhancing our face-to-face interaction with each other and that neighborly connections that we're trying to build within the city. Uh I'm also excited because perhaps we can use this as an opportunity to help show folks, you know, where our trails are because often we need to be walked through. I like to be go with a friend for example on a bus the first time I do it. And so if we can show them where those trails are, I think it'll help make sure that they're used and then also uh know what improvements we need to make. So I'm a yes. Um councelor, are you we're doing

uh yes. So I am absolutely a yes. I think this is one of those ideas that will help build trust with people. So yes. Thank you. I'm al also a yes. Perfect. Okay. Thank you. Anything else to add? No, I'll I'll kind of continually kind of inform and give feedback to this body and then hopefully we'll have some uh some dates on the agenda. I'll I'll double back with the city manager's office to perfect dive in. Thank you, Councelor Ireland.

Um couple I mentioned several things, but I attended a CCOG. Um there are members of our community are really excited that there's going to be a bus um park and ride at Highway 7 and I25 because many of their kids go to CSU and it'll take them to Fort Collins and that's coming up soon. I think the end of July and that was the major thing I heard there affects us. Um Adams County Mayor's Commission youth awards. I went and AirPro Tim was there with me. Great event. I'm impressed with the youth that they can overcome so much adversity and still excel and serve their community and their families. Um I went to the Westminster Chamber Awards was a great turnout and there was so many small businesses there that some of them I know about, some of them I don't. So that's one thing my homework is to learn about all of them. Um I've had some re outreach from businesses along 120th and here on about the condition of this 120th that the medians everything on C dot that it looks trashy basically and they go down to Broomfield and it looks nice. So they want to know why our part doesn't look look good and that doesn't help their businesses at all. So I don't know who we reach out to to make a difference there, but that's what I've heard this week. Anyway, thank you.

Thank you, Councelor Johnson.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor. I'll I'll be pretty quick. I just um I attended a couple of important events last week that I thought were really beneficial. Um the first one was the community update where we spent a lot of time talking about water and we missed you very much. Um but councelor Zotti, councelor Brahas and I as well as the wonderful city staff I think uh had a great presentation for the community that focused a lot on how the city is using its water resources and what to expect this summer given the likely you know drought conditions that we're facing. And it was really beneficial and we appreciate all the community that came out. Um they were very engaged with a bunch of questions. Um and we look forward to attending the next one with you next time. Um I went to the inclusivity board meeting on Wednesday. Um and I had great feedback from the inclusivity board around some of the uh proposed agenda items tonight. Um as well as their continued work on some important business from the city that you'll be seeing very soon. Um, and the the last two things are I was on a Zoom call talking about the drone Walmart drone delivery system that could be potentially impacting our community and u really appreciated uh many members of the police force being there um especially our own police force's drone team to talk about how this would impact some of the potential public safety um related interactions with our existing drone program. Um, and they asked some really great questions and I was really encouraged by the way city staff engaged. Um, and it seems like there's still a ways out in terms of bringing the program out, especially they'll require at least some um, permits from the city to get it set up. So, we will be hearing more as a council um, when that moves forward, but the city staff are asking all the right questions to make sure that if it were to move forward that we have the right uh, things in place. Um and finally the

chamber gala as councelor Ireland said it was great to you know congratulations to all the winners um and all the nominees and it was a great event and I was really encouraged to see the energy and excitement around commerce in Westminster people bringing their business here. There were so many new members. I think that was really exciting to hear about people bringing their business here to our city.

Thank you Mayor Prom. Um so yes, I attended with councelor Ireland the mayor and um commissioner youth awards and um also had a um planning committee meeting for the front range passenger rail. And one of the things that they were looking at, which has been discussed in the past couple of meetings, has been like an an event train that might potentially go to um was it the future Broncos stadium at Burnham Yards? And so they're just evaluating whether or not um and event train is a thing and whether so more to come on that piece of it, but um they're also working on just an overall documentation of what the service would look like in advance of the ballot measure. And so they're still working. They've started a document that kind of lays out all the FAQs. And so these public meetings that um are being held in various cities where um the stations are planned have been helpful to kind of vet out um you know what are the concerns from the communities. And just as a reminder, ours is April 29th. Um

is it it's here right in the back? Oh, it's at the No, I think it's here. It's here. council chambers, right? Um yeah, at like 5 to 7 or something. So anyway, we'll make sure people are aware of that when it comes. So,

thank you. Um yes, so I was traveling last week for work, so thank you to those who covered for me at the community update. I really appreciate you um because that was a highly important topic um just informing our residents about the incoming drought and what it is that we're doing to mitigate and prepare for that. Um, and then also thank you, Mayor Bertm, Councelor Island. Um, but thank you for covering for me at the Youth County, uh, Adams County Youth Awards. Much appreciated. Um, I want to mention I last night went to King Buffet for the first time, which is right next door to Walmart if you haven't been over there. I've been meaning to go for the last couple months because they opened a little while ago. And it was packed like that. That place I have never seen anywhere in Westminster, period, that was as busy and humming. The parking lot, it was the first time I've seen the parking lot that full. It was exciting. So, if you haven't gone there, I recommend you go uh because it was a whole new experience. It was a lot of fun, really affordable. Lots of families were there, lots of kids were there. You could tell that uh it was everything we're hoping for, which is including um you know, our families and affordability and all of that. And so just a big shout out to them for doing so well. And apparently that was a need that I didn't know we had, but it was definitely in demand. Um and then the Westminster Chamber Gala was fantastic. It always is. Um but it really was a big shout out to our chamber for putting that on and doing so well. And of course a big congratulations to all the um awardees. Um with that, councelor is I think I councelor Zi did I get your report? I did. Okay. I just wanted to make sure. I'm sorry. Folks are reminding me that I did. Okay, with that, we're going to move on to our premeating presentation. Uh, city manager, do we have a premeating? Actually, we're moving on to our city attorney for our presentation this evening.

Yes.

Thank you, mayor. Yes. Um, so staff have uh prepared um proposed edits to the city council rules and regulations and the code of conduct and protocols. So, um hoping uh to see whether city council uh desires edits and that way staff can move forward with incorporating your edits into a resolution for an upcoming agenda. So, um we do try to update the rules and regs and the um rules uh excuse me and the protocols from time to time to ensure that they meet city council's needs and express city council's intent. So um at this time we would ask for some feedback if uh it works best. I'm happy to go through the document from the beginning um with the version that was um posted in the agenda which has been slightly updated uh for discussion tonight uh in the hopes of uh capturing council's intent on uh a specific item. But if I could start at the beginning, um, when the council rules and regs were first, uh, discussed, um, one of the things you have the option of changing is the city council meeting start time. Currently, it is 700 p.m. And if council desires to change that start time, we can certainly incorporate that into your rules. So, I'll uh ask for some direction on the city council meeting start time.

Thank you. Thoughts? my opinion with the way it is, but thank you, Council Ireland. Mayor Prom, uh, I know in the past this has come up before and staff has um liked to have the ability to have a premeating time frame to have questions answered. Is that still something that staff prioritizes having? because I feel like that would be the only thing that might, you know, suffer if we move the meeting time up to 6:30.

I think that in the past that had that had been important. I think more important is when city council uh sends us questions on the uh agenda that you have before the meeting. Um that way we we know who to have present at the meeting night and and come prepared to answer those questions. Um that's probably the most important and so if council chose to start the meetings at 6:30 and then ask those questions at the dis um as long as we've had the opportunity to if you can send us those questions in advance I think we would we would be able to make that work. Um and again in listening to council's discussion on this topic at the last uh meeting about the option of of eliminating effectively that that premeating part and moving straight into city council to start. Um so the short answer is um I think if we got the questions in advance as much as possible that's the most important thing

and suggestion is we could uh move the start time and then we could add another separate not necessarily rule because we're always allowed to ask questions on the DAS of course but um in uh a policy that we would try to get our questions in by noon Monday if that makes sense for folks. Councelor Johnson. Yeah. Thank you, Mayor. I'll just say that I I would prefer to start, you know, as early as is convenient and possible. So that 6:30 that works for me. Okay. Uh councelor hot.

Yeah. I just wonder um how that will affect people who come for public comment if it if we start earlier if that's going to make it harder for them because a lot of people, you know, they have work during the day. And so I just wonder if it will negatively impact people who want to come for public comment if we start earlier. I mean I I would personally like to start earlier. I just wonder how that might impact people who are coming who like to speak. Thank you councelor Ireland.

I agree with councelor hot on that. Um, I think we we keep the meeting at 7:00 and I'm fine with the way it's gone where we come at 6:30, we tell our questions, tell we've been doing, but you said you want to do it on the DAS, but we still have a study session. Is that going to still be at 6:30, the study session, or are we saying everything's at 7? That's a good question. I don't think I think it goes late into the night if we start study session at 7 and I think we need that half hour like we have right now to get some through some of the things.

Okay. Uh councelor did you have thoughts?

Yes. So I think that actually for most families with children uh seven is too late. So when they want to come and make public comment, I've heard for years now that oh, you know, it's so difficult Obie to come here because public comment might not even start until, you know, 10, 15, 20 minutes into after 7:00 p.m. So actually earlier is better because people need to get back home, put their kids down, and have their kids sleep at a decent hour. So I would be a proponent of 6 p.m. if not 6 at 6:30 with no premeating. Thank you.

6 PM would push it for me, but I don't think I can do six very easily. Okay. Well, why don't we go around and try to take a quick poll um and figure this out. So, I'll uh ask whether we're thinking 6, 6:30, or 7. Um and I'll try to clarify what each of those options mean. I mean, I would assume if we're staying 6:00, then that would mean no premeating and we would have to come pretty prepared for the meeting. Uh 6:30, I guess I'm looking for direction on help here, but do we think that would also include no premeating if we moved it up to 6:30?

You certainly could start your agenda at 6:30 if you wanted to and then uh seven is just leave it alone essentially and but we would have a premeating. Okay. Um, all right. So, I'll take a quick poll here and we'll see what people think and hopefully we can move on to the next item because there's a lot to get through. Uh, councelor hot 6:30. Okay. Council braos. I have no preference if that's okay. But, uh, okay. I'm open. I'm Yes to all of them, I guess. Okay. Leave it alone. Okay. 6:30.

Okay. 6:30. I am also going to vouch for 6:30. I think that's a good change actually. Uh, councelor. 6:30. Okay. I think we're up for moving it up a half an hour. Okay. Fantastic.

Yeah, I appreciate the feedback. Okay. Um, then, um, we have proposed some housekeeping with regard to remote participation at 1.7. Um, the city's code has been updated since the original rules were drafted and this language would track what's in the code. So, that's a staff's proposal as a housekeeping item. The I guess if council's if that's acceptable, city council, we will propose that for for your resolution unless you have different direction for staff. Yeah. Do you mind reading it aloud for the audience?

Sure. Sure. Um, the remote participation section. When practically and technologically feasible, any member of the city council may attend, participate, and vote at any regular session or study session through remote audio and visual means up to two times per year. Remote participation beyond two times per year shall be permitted subject to a majority vote of city council. Attendance and participation in executive sessions and quasi judicial proceedings shall be in person unless approved by a supermajority twothirds vote of council. And this is directly from Westminster Municipal Code 113G. Um, and there's a reference after that to say that appendix A shall supplement the procedures as necessary. So at the end of your rules is appendix A which will have the similar edit.

Thank you. Any questions or thoughts? Okay, I see a lot of thumbs up. Um, I'm okay personally without changing anything. Uh, councelor, any thoughts? Nope. Okay.

Okay. Thank you, mayor. Um, next is a just an option for city council if council desires. Um, in the past there had been a 4hour limit to council meetings. This is the language that used to be in the rules. Um, I wasn't sure if city council was interested in pursuing this. If you're not, that's fine. Um, but I wanted you to see what the 4hour clock looked like. Uh, and again, uh, do you mind reading that aloud?

Sure. 1.9 Length of meetings automatic adjournment. All meetings of the city council, including study sessions, shall adjourn adjourn automatically four hours after the commencement of the meeting if not concluded before such time. For purposes of automatic adjournment, meetings that are held consecutively on the same day, whether they are listed as premeings, study sessions, post meetings, study sessions, regular meetings, special meetings, district meetings, executive sessions, or study sessions, shall be treated as the same meeting. Meetings may be extended beyond the automatic adjournment in 30 minute increments upon a motion approved by a majority of the members present. Any scheduled agenda item not considered or acted upon at the time of adjournment shall be continued automatically to the next business meeting or study session as applicable.

Thank you. Um I'll go around and ask for thoughts. Before I do so, I'll just I'm going to suggest my own edit to this. So, I think this is um I've heard a lot of good feedback about this. So, that's a good news. I've also heard from former mayors that it wasn't necessarily um successful because we just would approve the time anyway. So, it's also incumbent on us to make sure that we limit it. Um but my only edit would be to change the 30 minutes to 1 hour so that we're not voting taking more time to vote every so often. So, those are my thoughts there. Um giving that feedback that I received. Councelor Brahas.

Yeah. Um I mean I don't necessarily need uh that you know I'm fine with kind of no end uh meetings. I would functionally might be the same but I think it's kind of the onus is on us if we do do something like this. I would rever prefer the opposite that we continue meetings but at the 4-hour mark we can have an automatic vote to adjurnn instead of an automatic adjournment where we vote to continue. And I don't know if that's like legally if the difference is allowed, but I think kind of visually it makes more like like you know we can we have a meeting that we can continue but we can vote to adjourn. Thanks for that idea. Yeah.

Okay. Other thoughts councilor hot I I like what's here. I'm good with the hour instead of 30 minutes.

Okay. Thank you. Uh count mayor prom. I also like what's here and with the 30 minutes I mean I think I feel like sometimes it's difficult to be able to say you know um not feeling well or I'm done you know like at a point where it's like 1:00 a.m. or something and um being able to just physically call something and just um be able to stop a meeting. I think that's important. I think 30 minutes, I know it's kind of annoying, but I'd rather have us kind of focus in 30 minutes than extend to an hour and just let it ride because at that point we're all pretty exhausted. Um, so

Okay. Thank you, Councelor. Any thoughts? I think Mayor Pat nailed it.

Okay. So, you're for we're a bit all over the place. Any further thoughts, Councelor Johnson? Yeah, I like council baras. I'm okay without 1.9, but if we are going to do 1.9, I do think it's important to change it so that there's an automatic vote at 4 hours, but not that it automatically ends because I think just visually and um from the kind of roles responsibilities of council's perspective, I think the result is the same. like we take a vote at four hours, but it's not that it adjourns, it's that the vote happens every four at the four hour mark.

It's an interesting thought. City attorney, do you have any thoughts on this idea? I think certainly council could require a motion at the 4hour mark in a regular meeting. Um, I'm just thinking about study sessions generally don't have that same level of formality with motions and voting and can't really vote and take formal action in a study session. So I think it would be cleaner to confine that mandatory motion to the regular meetings and create some mechanism in a study session maybe where you poll one another whether or not you want to continue but you could have you know some question put to the group at the 4hour mark if that's your desire.

And to clarify before I take this any further uh to again back around um I assume there's no time limit after that we're just finishing the meeting. We're not stopping every half hour or hour. We can keep the time constraints, the 30 minutes, the one or whatever we decide, but that's fine. It just really is just kind of flipping the vision of it. Yeah. Yeah. Councilor Ireland, I'm I'm fine with staying like we've been doing. I'm here for the people. That's why I signed up to do this. So, I'm not in for any time constraints. Thank you.

I think 12:30 maybe we could say maybe we're too tired. Let's I mean a time like 12:30 we could say if we're done or not or if this is all we can give tonight. I mean but I say have a time after you know 12:30 say do we want to go 30 more minutes or this this is much as we can give today you know but I think we should have a time not just four hours later. Okay. Thank you, councelor hot. I get up at 5:00 in the morning to go to work every day. Uh 12:30 in the morning is way too late for me. Thank you.

Okay. Um I I was about to go around, but uh unless I hear other thoughts for flipping the script, is there anyone else in proponent a proponent of that? Okay, I'll give my I like the idea. I like rethinking it. Um, I think I'm still uh for just an automatic adjournment just because it is so much cleaner. Um, I like that idea and it'll be I think somewhat difficult logistically for us to do each evening. But I do like the idea, but um I'll say my opinion is to have the uh as written. Um I prefer it to be an hour, but I'm not I won't die on that hill. So that's no big deal. I can pull it every 30 minutes. That's fine. Um, but we are kind of all over the place. So, I'm gonna have to go one more time around the room here. So, um, the options are keep it uh as written, which is a 4hour limit, and to extend every 30 minutes, or we can say 1 hour, or keep it as is, which is what I've also heard. So, uh, councelor, I'll start with you.

And I'm just reading. So I so I don't really care either way. Um but I just want to encourage staff and us as a council to keep the meeting succinct. Um I think that's just like we don't have to require it or you know make a rule. So I don't really care if we stay late if we don't. But it's always best for the community to be succinct because people can't stay up. You know it's not about us being there. It's more about who's watching and no one's watching at midnight. So if no one's watching, we shouldn't be doing policy. That's my position.

Thank you, Councelor Hut. Um I'm I like what's written. I'm fine with 30 minutes or an hour. I'm really not picky about that, but I do like what's written. Thank you, Councelor Brahas. I appreciate your perspective on it. I still kind of will insist that if we do this, it's flipped to Okay. Uh, councelor Ireland, you heard me and I'm fine with how it is now. Okay. Uh, councelor Johnson, I prefer the 1 hour the 30 minute to 1 hour change and would also prefer that it's flipped to create an automatic poll but not an automatic end. Okay. Uh, Mayor Prom.

Um, I can get behind the hour, but I like it as written. Okay. I I guess I'm un ambivalent about the direction of like how it's posed. That doesn't help. But yeah. Okay. Um I think I'm the deciding vote here. So uh I'm trying to understand can you um can you help me understand a little bit why the optics matter so much? Uh I mean to councelor Ireland's point, right? Like we're here. We're I mean I understand the onus of brief meetings. I mean, but as we're having this discussion about brief meetings that's taking over time, right? Like

there just becomes a point where if we're having a policy discussion, we have to have the discussion. And so, while I'm not in favor of of any sort of ending early, uh I do understand that there is that like the council is asking for that. And so, I want to respond to that. To me, the idea that we're telling the community and telling the world that we're done working for you after 4 hours unless we decide otherwise just doesn't feel right to me. And so I would rather have it where after four hours we as a council can make a decision to see if enough business has been done to end. And again, functionally it's the same. And I know that there is maybe some procedural messiness to it. And and so I'm I'm willing to not make the final I don't know. I know you're hearing a lot of discussion on this. To me, it just sounds more responsive to the community if we are asking for this. You know, the community has asked us to be here. And so if we're asking the community or telling the community, hey, this is the parameters of us being here. I think the decision is we make a decision to leave and not hey we're just telling you we only have four hours for you.

I appreciate you expanding on that. That's very helpful uh for me um since I'm somewhat this deciding factor. So um I am in favor of this. I'm I'm going to agree with you. Let's go ahead and flip that script if we're comfortable with that. So um we have a majority for that and then we're still torn as to whether it's 30 or an hour. So, I'm go ahead and uh agree with the 30 minutes just to make this complete so that we can get on to our meeting. Yeah.

Um and it looks like we will have to resume after the city council meeting and uh finish this. So, thank you, city attorney. I appreciate you. Oh, alone. Ooh,

oh wo. Yeah. Is I feel ooh. Ooh. Ooh. Oh. Good evening and welcome to the April 13, 2026 uh meeting for this evening. Please stand and join us in the pledge of allegiance.

Thank you for joining us this evening. Please remember that our meetings are governed by the rules of decorum which are posted inside chamber doors. We ask all attendees to maintain a respectful environment. No disruptions, threats or audible expressions of support or opposition are permitted. Signs and placards are prohibited and all attendees must remain seated in designated areas. If you wish to speak during public comment, please sign up in the lobby. Sign up closes at 7:15 p.m. City clerk, roll call, please. Councelor Barahas, present. Mayor Carmelia, present. Councelor Isadi here. Councelor Hop present. Councelor Ireland here. Councelor Johnson

here. And Mayor Promla here. Do we have a motion to permit councelor Rosati to participate remotely? Coun uh mayor prom I move to excuse councelor Rosati due to I don't remember do we know uh why councelor attend virtually if it's a motion it would be a motion to permit him to attend remotely. Okay. Apologies. I will restate that to I move to um make or I'm making a motion to allow councelor Zatti to attend remotely. Thank you. Uh councelor Barahas. Second.

Thank you. City clerk. I think we can take a voice vote on this one. Okay. All in favor? I I Okay, thank you so much. Uh any opposed? Okay, brilliant. Do I have a motion to approve the minutes? Mayor Prom Nurmela, I move to approve the minutes of the March 23rd, 2026 city council meeting as presented. Councelor Hop, second. Thank you. All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Okay. All right. We will now move on to our presentations uh which is the exciting part. Thank you all for being here. I see we have a packed room so I appreciate your support of those attending. We have presentations of employee service awards this evening and we will now present a service pin and certificate of appreciation to the employee celebrating 30 years of service with the city. All righty. Okay, here we are. Excellent. Okay, can I get David Barney up here? Where are you? Excellent. And will you bring your friends and family?

Excellent. She stands in for everyone. Hello. Hi. How you doing? Good to see you. This is Valerie. Hi. It's good to meet you. So good to have you up here with us. Will you present uh you want to introduce your wife to the whole crowd? This is my beautiful wife, Valerie. And uh my two s my two kids could not make it today, but okay. They're out of town. They're here. somewhere. Yeah. Okay. I'm going to hand you this so I don't drop it. Here's your service pin. Well, thank you.

And here's that for you. You're welcome. Uh well, big congratulations to uh Mr. David Vney here, who has been with us for the past 30 years. David has dedicated his career to protecting his community and leading an exceptional team of firefighters who consistently set the standard of excellence in fire and EMS service. He has progressed through the ranks of firefighter, fire engineer, fire lieutenant, fire captain, and currently is honored to serve as battalion chief for Westminster fire, gaining valuable experience at every level. Over the course of his career, David has served on several special teams, including the dive team, technical re rescue team, fire investigations, fitness committee. Are are you still doing that?

Yes, ma'am.

I could use some help. That's good to know. uh and as the department's health and fitness coordinator supporting both operational readiness and the overall health and wellness of fire personnel. David is passionate about fostering a culture grounded in accountability, teamwork, and integrity. As a second generation firefighter, he believes strong organizations are built by leaders who listen first, mentor with purpose, and never forget where they came from. I love that. Oh, outside the firehouse, David finds balance by spending meaningful time with his family, usually around a great Italian dinner or enjoying the outdoors fishing and spear fishing. He is blessed with an incredible wife and best friend, Valerie, who is the backbone of his family, and a son who is a third generation firefighter serving the Hilton Head Fire Department in South Carolina, and a beautiful daughter who works for Lheed Martin in Alabama. Got smart kids. Well, congratulations.

Thank you very much. Appreciate Okay, now we will go ahead and do some proclamations. Thank you. Starting with Mayor Prom Nurmela with the first. Thank you. All right. I believe I am doing the volunteer. Um there is which one is it? National

I know. Oh, yeah. No, I'm sorry. Oh, here it is. Right here. So, Martha Hines, there you are.

Yes. Yes. Martha and whoever is here has been volunteering their time to the city. Would love to have you. Yes, I think everybody just come fil come filter on in. And I know there's a lot of folks here, but want to see if you guys would be willing to just um do a quick intro of yourself. I see our former mayor in the queue here. Do you mind if I Okay. All right. I'm going to just hand it. Hi, mayor. All right. I'm gonna hand it over to you.

Oh, Tamara Map. And I'm gonna have you guys pass if you if you're willing to pass it around. Carol Jones, Nancy McN Steve Cretzel, Janna Cretzel, Gordon Tulle, Debb Tulle, Kathy Pasco, Lou Pasco, Shelley Seymour, Yolanda Anne Moises, Martha Hines, volunteer coordinator, Olivia SCS, Audrey signs,

Miguel signs, Naen Haimey, Linda Greyel, Claudia Han, Lisa Elliott. Thank you. This is just a small sampling. And Martha, do you want to just talk about a little bit about our volunteers and how deep they go and how broad they reach the city?

Yes, thank you. Um, yes. If you don't already know, we have quite the robust volunteer program called Volunteer Westminster. It's made up about uh with about 1,800 consistent volunteers that serve in a variety of roles from libraries, book leads. Um we had our dog volunteer here. Maybe he's still outside. Uh we even have a dog volunteer who's here somewhere. Uh we also have volunteers at the police department. Um basically in almost all of our departments in the city, we have different volunteers that serve in some capacity and give back to their community. Um, last year our program grew by about $100,000. So, we now have a $1.2 million volunteer program and that's all because of our volunteers. Um, and we have some of the I mean, I'm biased, but my volunteers here are incredible. A great group of individuals that just want to help their neighbor and want to help anyone. So, um, if you're interested in volunteering, please check us out on westminsterco.gov volunteer westminster. We have a lot of different positions that you can serve in or if you have any ideas or see any issues in the community. Please let us know. Um, we try to use our volunteer program to try to bridge some of those issues in the community as well. But thank you so much to all of our volunteers and happy National Volunteer Week. Thank you, Martha. I hope that is inspiring to folks who have not yet uh volunteered. But I'm going to go ahead and read the uh proclamation. Whereas the entire community can inspire, equip, and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. And whereas volunteers can connect with local community service opportunities through

hundreds of community service organizations. And whereas individuals and communities are at the center of social change discovering their power to make a difference. And whereas during this week all over the nation service projects will be performed and volunteers recognized for their commitment to service. And whereas the giving of oneself in service to another empowers the giver and the recipient. And whereas experience teaches that government by itself cannot solve all the nation's social problems. And whereas our country's volunteer force of more than 63 million is a great treasure. And whereas volunteers are vital to our future as a caring and productive nation. Now therefore, I on behalf of Clare Carmelia, mayor of the city of Westminster, Colorado, on behalf of the entire city council and staff, do hereby proclaim the week of April 19th to the 25th, 2026 as City of Westminster volunteer week and encourage residents to volunteer in their respective communities. By volunteering and recognizing those who serve, we can come together to make a difference. Guys, we got a lot of people. It's a good problem to have. Okay, we're have you two front center right here. We're going to need about 10 people on the riser in the back. So, if you're taller, you're comfortable with the riser, go ahead and move to the back row. My side or more comfortable down, please come in. Great. All right, we'll be quick.

Like I said, good problem to have, right?

Ready? Everyone looking this way. One, two, three. One, two, three. Thank you everybody. I'm gonna sneak behind you to grab this.

Here we are. Hello. Hi. How you doing? Good to see you. Before we just go ahead and get started, we are doing the big proclamation here. This is the big one. Uh it is now the birthday of Westminster. It is the birthday this year for the state of Colorado and it is the birthday of the United States. Right. And so it is it is a real big year full of celebrations. So before I go ahead and celebrate all of these birthdays, uh I'd like to pass the mic and have these folks all introduce themselves. So, um, do you want to say your name and then, uh, who you're with? Carol Jones with the Historical Society.

Kathy Pasco, Historical Society and Landmark Board. Nancy McN Historical Society. Linda Greyel, Historical Society and Landmark Board. Shelley Seymour Historical Society. Lisa Elliot, Historical Society. Mary Oswell, Historic Landmark Board. Alana Mace, historic landmark board. Keith Teter, historic landmark board. Kate Cook, City of Westminster Cultural Affairs Coordinator.

Cultural Affairs Coordinator if you didn't hear that because she's a star and she does so much work for us and deserves to be recognized. So, thank you. And of course, we have our most folks, I think, here with the historical society and thank you for being here and our incredible former mayor McN. So, um, thank you all for being here. Uh yes, let's clap. Okay, with that we have a proclamation for this very special year. Whereas the year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And whereas the year 2026 marks Colorado's 150th anniversary of statehood. And whereas the year 2026 marks the 115th anniversary of the founding of the city of Westminster. And whereas in 2016, the United States Congress established the joint resolution, the America 250 commission to encourage observance of the 250 years of our nation's existence. And whereas the Colorado legislature established the America 250 Colorado 150 commission with the passage of Senate Bill 202211 011. And the commission has determined its mission and purpose is to celebrate Colorado by acknowledging the completeness of our shared history, honor that which me what makes Colorado unique and strive toward a more perfect union. And whereas it is appropriate that the city of Westminster engages fully with our past and looks toward a shared future. And whereas the Westminster Historic Landmark Board and Westminster Historical Society as partners with the city will share in these anniversaries through the development and distribution of educational materials and tours. And whereas the city of Westminster will fully engage in commemorative activities including the summer block party, movies in the park, vintage baseball game, our Fourth of July celebration, history tours, and WestyFest. And whereas the mayor and city council encourage our

community to participate in programs that will commemorate the history of Westminster, Colorado, and the United States. Now therefore, I, Mayor Clare Carmelia, on behalf of the entire city council and staff, do hereby proclaim that the city of Westminster will fully engage in commemorative activities to observe the 250th, 150th, and 115th anniversaries, and urge residents to attend city events, city events, seek opportunity to share, volunteer in our community, which you just meant all of our volunteers. Please join them. Join us. I am also one of those volunteers by the way. uh and discover pathways for historic preservation and take advantage of the resources available from the America 250 commission and the America 250 Colorado 150 commission. Sign this day the 13th of April. Thank you all so much. Gosh, I don't usually

you want to hold that. Thank you. Sure. That covers me up.

Ready? One, two, three. One, two, three.

Okay. Which one's next? Okay. And we will now present Arbor Day. Thank you, counselor. Thank you, mayor. Uh, could I get our forester, Brian, uh, to come up? Oh, there you are. Hi. I wear my green tie for this. So, uh, do you want to give get to see you? Thanks for coming up here. Do you want to give, uh, an a quick introduction on who you are and the forestry pro or urban forestry program?

Yeah, sure thing. Hi, I'm Brian McCoy. the city forester and horiculture super supervisor for um the city of Westminster. We take care of about 20,000 trees uh out in our public spaces. Um one thing I wanted to say is, you know, this is our 44 41st year of being a designated Tree City USA and that shows a commitment from our leadership and residents to take care of and grow our urban canopy. So I encourage you all to plant trees. We need them now more than ever. Um, and something recently that we've provided for your for your use actually is a tree manual. I'm sure you have got questions. How do you take care of trees? What are ordinances around trees? You can look that up on the city website and and learn more about uh proper tree care.

Thanks, Brian. We didn't even recognize each other out of our in our formal attire. We're used to our gardening clothes, but great. Uh, I'll gladly read this Arbor Day proclamation on behalf of the mayor. So, whereas in 1872, J. Sterling Morton proposed that to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day called Arbor Day be set aside for the planting of trees. And whereas the holiday called Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world. And whereas trees can reduce the erosion of our precious top soil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal, and provide habitat for wildlife. And whereas trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community. And whereas Westminster has been recognized as a tree city USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation and desires to continue its tree planting ways. Now therefore, I, Claire Carmelia, mayor of Westminster, uh, mayor of the city of Westminster, on behalf of the entire city council and staff, do hereby proclaim Friday, April 17th, 2026 as Arbor Day in the city of Westminster, and call upon the people of Westminster to support efforts to protect our trees, to support our city's urban forestry program, and further urge all citizens to plant trees to gladden the hearts and promote the well-being of present and future generations. signed this 13th day of April, 2026. Claire Carmelia, the mayor twice. Ready? One, two, three. Thanks, guys. And now councelor hot will do our next proclamation.

If the inclusivity board could join me please. So this is the pro proclamation for Scottish American Heritage Month. if you would like to introduce yourself and um anything else you'd like to share. Alan Farb, Inclusivity Board. Rich Chamberlain, Inclusivity Board. And this time it's legit because a couple of us have Scottish Heritage. Jillian Gibson, member of the St. Andrew Society of Colorado and chair of the Inclusivity Board of the City of Westminster.

All right. Whereas Scottish American Heritage Month was first recognized in 2008 by the United States. And whereas approximately 30 million US residents claim Scottish heritage and whereas Scottish Americans played a major role in the founding of this nation. Almost half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Scottish descent. And whereas Americans with Scottish ancestry have made and continue to make America a better place and Americans a better people. And whereas Americans with Scottish ancestry have made profound and significant contributions in the fields of science, technology, medicine, government, politics, economics, education, and architecture, and have contributed to our cultural and artistic landscape through literature, music, and theater. Now therefore, I, Claire Carmelia, mayor of the city of Westminster, Colorado, on behalf of the entire city council and staff, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as Scottish American Heritage Month and encourage the community to celebrate our residents of Scottish ancestry and to learn about the rich Scottish heritage and traditions that originate with Scottish Americans. Sign this 13th day of April, 2026. One, two, three. One, two.

Thank you all so much. That moves us now to public comment. Public comment is an opportunity for the public to address city council on any issues or items pertaining to city business. During public comment, each speaker will have up to three minutes for their comments. Staff will follow up with questions and outstanding issues. If you are here to speak on a public hearing item, please wait until that item is called. City clerk, would you please report the number of email and voicemails received and the number of individuals signed up to speak this evening and then call our first speaker up. We received two emails, two voicemails, and we have 30 speakers signed up. The first speaker is Tyler Weaver.

Welcome.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Tyler. I'm a Westminster resident. Two years ago, I attended a robotics conference in Odens, Denmark. It has 185,000 people, bigger than Westminster. It was a shipyard town. That industry left. They reinvented themselves by investing in cycling infrastructure um and redesigning the streets around people. It worked. Over 160 robotics companies moved in. Their head of economic development said the company specifically asks about bike infrastructure because word workers need to get around without a second car inside the city. That is the reason I was there in Odense as I work in a robotic startup. I walked outside on the first morning I was there and it was weird. It was eerily quiet. The noise pollution that we deal with every day here is something that we we just we just don't understand until we've gone someplace without it. That's what I want to talk about. We what they what they did there is they made different choices about their streets. The way our streets look and feel isn't inevitable. The city as a city in America, we can widen another road. That doesn't set Westminster apart. What sets the city apart is the courage to invest in something different. Right now, C DOT is finalizing the Federal Boulevard design. Westminster put $1.1 million towards it. The current plan has dedicated bus lanes, but no protected bike infrastructure. I25 is 3 miles east. We already have a north south highway for cars. Federal does not need to duplicate that. My wife works in Denver. She would like to bike commute, but there is no safe north south route from Westminster. Our trails run east west. Federal is the obvious corridor and we're already rebuilding it. I'm asking city council to direct staff to

advocate to C DOT for protected bike paths along Westminster's portion of Federal. Build them with the BRT and it will cost a fraction of doing it later. If we miss this window, we won't get another for decades. Thank you.

Thank you. The next speaker is Kimberly Trap. Welcome. Thank you. Um um I just need a minute to get get my breath. Okay. I'm just a little nervous so I have to excuse me. Um uh my name is Kimberly Trap and I am here to talk about uh the potential of having uh the Pride Pride flag uh flown on city property and um uh if it is approved by council, I will assume that it is okay to apply a flag that represents a fraction of our community. And so in the interest of diversity, um I am going to ask council to also consider flying different flags. Uh for example, the one that's near and dear to my heart is the Christian flag. And uh when I first considered this, I thought, is that the establishment of religion? Is there a problem here? So, I looked up a couple of Supreme Court cases and it turns out that the message from the Supreme Court is that the governor government cannot favor one viewpoint and censor another in a public forum. Municipalities can approve a commemorative emblem like the Christian flag without it being attributed as government speech. Um, so I do have pictures of the Christian flag that I want to give to council um just so you're familiar with it. Um, but before I do that, I also uh wanted to comment on the um uh proposal to keep ICE out of um uh city buildings. Um in uh the last about year and a half, ICE has rescued over 145,000 children who were lost. Um they were brought over the

border and their families had no idea where they were. They're not evil. They're not bad guys, okay? They are enforcing federal law. They're also um uh deporting peop deporting dangerous people and I want my community to be protected from those dangerous people and there are trafficked children in our community and I would like it if they were also rescued. Uh so please consider um sending the message to ICE that they are welcome here. Thank you for your time. audience. I will remind the crowd that there is no support or opposition to be voiced and no clapping or other uh voices or motions of and I'm sorry the das.

My bad. You have to come hand them too. Oh, that's okay. Thank you.

Next speaker. The next the next speaker is Rich Trap.

Good evening, council mayor, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. Um um I agree with everything my wife said, obviously. Um it's also my birthday today, so I'm honored to be uh part of such an auspicious occasion. Um I want to talk about um the issue with ICE as well. Um, the horrible scenes we saw in Minneapolis, in my opinion, were facilitated by that city's decision to keep ICE out of their their prisons and their and their government buildings. Um, which forced them to take people that um they could have taken out of the jail with the cooperation of the the police and the government. They had to get them where they were working or where they were hiding or where they were residing at the time, which uh, you know, just caused disruption of um the public. And it also encouraged the protesters uh because it gave them um uh just encouragement from the from the council to say, you know, these are bad people and and you shouldn't obey them or shouldn't uh listen to them or uh help them. Um so I would like to avoid that in Westminster. I realize we don't have a big jail here. Um, and if we do have people that are here that are illegal, uh, they're only here for a short time. But in that same, um, just because it's a small amount and a short time doesn't mean we shouldn't, um, facilitate, um, the thing that's legal and right to do. Um, and ICE agents aren't the bad guys. Um, and I would just ask that we avoid the social disruption and uh don't encourage more criminal activity by protesters who are against them. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker. The next speaker is Jeremy Huanes.

Welcome. Uh, good evening. Uh, I've heard that the city was going to apply a pride flag and would like to speak about the need for a fair and consistent policy, one that unites residents rather than uh divides them. When the city raises a flag, it carries a weight of the government endorsement. If a pride flag is displayed, it establishes a precedent that cause-based and identity based flags are appropriate on city property. If that is the standard, it must be applied equally. The city should not be a king or a dictator who decides which voices are uh are worth public visibility. It should represent us all. I would therefore ask that if we are going to fly the pride flag that we also uh fly the turning point USA flag. This flag represents a core principles many residents value. We It values freedom of speech and the right to express ideas openly without fear. It it wants open debate over silence and censorship, economic freedom and entrepreneurship uh that drives for opportunity. It wants limited government and great individual responsibility and encourages young people to engage in civic uh life and leadership. It also encourages individuals to think critically and question prevailing narratives rather than accepting them without discussion. Based on these principles, this flag would make a great addition and a and help promote a fair and consistent policy. At its core, this is not about one flag over another. It is about fairness, neutrality, and equal treatment for all residents. To that end, I respectfully request that the Turning Point USA flag be flown in June for my birthday as part of a consistent

and equal application of the policy. Thank you. But I would also like to say uh I appreciate you uh for addressing my last comment that you actually like the idea.

Thank you. The next speaker is August Rush. My name is August Rashi. I represent the Westminster Professional Firefighter Union Local 2889. For almost a decade, Westminster has had the unfortunate distinction of possessing one of the most restrictive collective bargaining ordinances in all of Colorado. We have been siloed into a narrow definition of collective bargaining, one that prevents us from working dynamically with our administration to solve the many issues we face. Now, I'm biased, but I truly believe we can do more. The proposed changes to the ordinance will give our union more of a voice in the issues that matter to my brothers and sisters. Safety, working conditions, and providing the kind of service we can be proud of. This new bargaining framework is not unique. Fire unions across the state, including in our neighboring neighboring departments, currently negotiate these issues in their contracts. We're not asking for special treatment, just the same rights and same dignity afforded to firefighters across Colorado. I'm thankful for the assistance and support we have received from Chief Burke, city manager Jod Andrews, Ron Aguo, members of our city council, as well as Mayor Carmelia. Mayor, it's no accident that this pro labor momentum is happening under your leadership. This is a new era for Westminster, a new era for labor, and our union is excited to be a part of it. And to councelor Obzi, I've known you since you first ran for council in 2021. In that time, you have proved yourself time and time again as a close ally to the labor movement. This ordinance you have championed gives us firefighters a voice in safety, wages, and working conditions. the core issues for all labor unions. I don't know where

your career is going to lead you, but I do know that wherever you go, you have earned local 2889 support and endorsement. This marks a new era for labor in Westminster. We should all be proud to see workers rights being uplifted and supported by our government. I feel certain that this new draft of the ordinance represents the best interests of our union, the city administration, and the citizens of Westminster. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you. The next speaker is Corbin Gray.

Welcome.

Good evening, Mayor, Mayor Prom, and City Council. My name is Corbin Gray, and I'm the president of IFFF Local 2889 representing the Westminster Professional Firefighters. I'm here tonight in support of the proposed revisions to chapter 34 of the Westminster Municipal Code regarding collective bargaining for firefighters. In 2016, the citizens of Westminster voted to grant firefighters the right to collectively bargain. That decision created a framework for firefighters and city management to work together on issues that directly impact our profession. Things like safety, benefits, and wages. Over the past decade, we have honored that responsibility and engaged in good faith bargaining with the city. However, through that process, we have also learned that the original ordinance was written in a way that unintentionally limits our ability to fully address some of the most important issues facing firefighters, particularly those related to safety and working conditions. Over the past several months, we have worked collaboratively with city management to improve that framework. These proposed revisions are not about overreach. They are about alignment. Alignment with standard labor best practices and with agreements already in place in fire departments across our region. We believe these changes will allow for more meaningful and productive discussions while through while still preserving the city's ability to operate effectively and most importantly ensuring we continue to serve and protect the citizens of Westminster at the highest level. This process has demonstrated that labor and management can come together, work through challenges, and find common ground. We respectfully ask for your support in

continuing that progress by approving these amendments. I also would like to recognize councelor Johnson, councelor Brahas, and councelor hot. Your willingness to engage on this issue, ask thoughtful questions, and take the time to understand the real impact of this ordinance has helped move this process forward in a meaningful way. That kind of leadership matters, and it has not gone unnoticed. Regardless of the outcome, I want to be clear. Every firefighter in this department will continue to show up and serve this community and uphold the oath we have sworn. Thank you. Thank you.

The next speaker is Gary Gambino. Thank you for this opportunity. Appreciate being here. I'm here to uh make comment on the uh proposal, the consideration uh that you have on your uh uh menu here of displaying uh the pride flag. Very very interesting to me. We've had some incredible great comments uh from people already about um not just the legalities but the practicality of of flying one one specific special interest groups flag. There is uh estimated over 1.2 million nonprofit organizations, special interest organizations within the United States. How did this city council come up with flying one specifically the pride flag? Now, not only that, the pride is LGBT is worldwide. If there is 1.2 2 million special interest groups in the United States that you should be considering flying their flags. What about the rest of the world's special interest groups? LGBT is all over the globe. So are the other special interest groups. So again, the comments that have been made have been fantastic. There are so many groups uh just in the United States and throughout the world that do so much for communities everywhere for us individually all of us collectively not just 5 to 7 to eight or 9% of the population but all of us why not fly the

uh world wildlife federation who focuses on consideration on on conservative conservation and reducing human impact on the environment. Why not fly this? This is a great one. Amnesty International advocates for human rights and seeks to end abuse worldwide. Why are we looking at something so consolidated, something so minuscule to fly on our flag pole, which we all own? We need to consider everything, every every one of these organizations worldwide before you elect to choose one over the other. Fly them all. You need to hire a full-time staff to to staff the bottom of our flag pole 247 and have every flag from around the world for every organization that is nonprofit, that is special interest. And guess what? They're going to be so busy and you're going to be changing the flag every 3 seconds. So, please consider this. This is not about LGBT. It's not about They're great. So are all these other groups, but

I apologize. Consider it. No, you're good. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you. The next speaker is Julia Friend. Welcome.

Thank you. Uh, good evening, mayor and city council. My name is Julia Friend, and I am a longtime Westminster resident. I'm addressing um agenda number 11, the um immigration enforcement. I support ICE. America and Westminster need safe neighborhoods where people can be out and about without worrying about crime or being murdered. The massive illegal immigration that has occurred in America has made many communities dangerous and these illegal aliens need to be deported. So, I'm fully supportive of ICE doing their lawful job. The second item is number F, the consideration of displaying the pride flag. Um, I was just curious why the pride flag is being considered and not other special interests considering as the previous speaker spoke, there's thousands and thousands of special interests. So for example, I respectfully request that the Knights of Columbus flag be displayed as this organization gives back to the communities across the country in the form of disaster relief, support of people with disabilities, scholarships, and much much more. By allowing the pride flag and no other special interest flags to be flown is actually discriminatory. There are also many more pressing issues facing the Westminster City Council than flags on the flag pole. Also, taxpayers have paid for the flag poles and we're also paying for your salaries. So, I think the taxpayers opinion should be represented on the flag pole and I um respectfully request that the Knights of Columbus flag be considered for display. Thank you.

Thank you. The next speaker is Mitch Terry.

Welcome.

Thank you. Seems like you flip that over. All right. Mayor Mayor Prom, city council members, I have happily lived in the city for over 30 years. I'm not happy today. Sorry, Councelor Hut. I disagree. We don't need to have a pride flag. We need three flags. Councelor Island, you said it. This the flag of the United States of America, the flag of the state of Colorado, and the flag of the city of Westminster. Now, I did notice when I walked through the parking lot. We have the P MIA flag. They died for us. Should stay. All other flags, they don't need to be displayed. There are other issues here that that you might want to consider. Every one of you in some way are employers of the employees of the city. This flag, if it is made to be flown by employees of this city, could be a problem legally. There are three topics employers don't talk about. They don't talk about politics, they don't talk about religion, and they certainly don't talk about sex. Now, the question is, if you're going to mandate that the flag be flown at the city of Westminster, the pride flag, if you have an employee that says, "I'm not going to fly that flag." Will that employee be reprimanded? I don't think that flag is inclusive. I actually think it's exclusive. I think it excludes the majority of the city of Westminster, the majority of the country, because that majority is heterosexual. I live in an entire neighborhood. I don't know of any couples that are in the LGBT community. I know of many of my neighbors that are heterosexual. We don't advertise it. We don't need to advertise it. We are just

standard American standard city Westminster residents. So my hope is you will consider this flag only the flag of the United States of America, only the flag of the state of Colorado, and only the flag of the city of Westminster. But since I came here, one other one, leave the P MIA flag flying. It's out of respect. Thank you. Thank you.

The next speaker is Alabuzo. Thank you, Mayor.

I'm sorry. Welcome. Yes. I appreciate this forum to be able to have our fellow citizens speak what's on their minds. Um, I thought it was specifically and uh especially timely that we're having this discussion tonight in light of the 250th anniversary for our country coming up and other milestone dates that we want and you know feel that it's great to remember these times and I would like to recommend that if we are going to look at having other flags flags displayed over the city of Westminster. Uh that we would consider the flag that was lifted over the brave and forwardleading founders of this country. in their in their hereto for noble enterprise upon encountering numerous tasks beyond their experiences would humble themselves and seek guidance from almighty God. The appeal to heaven flag was used by George Washington and the other founders to fly over our ships, over our armies that fought in the American Revolutionary War. They chose that flag because we encounter times that try men's souls and we need guidance beyond our abilities. And so I would suggest that if we consider the flag an appeal to heaven flag, we would be

uh commemorating much of what the revolutionary forefathers fought for. In fact, before the Revolutionary War actually began, General Washington formed and financed America's first navy and commissioned them to sail with this flag flying overhead. During the American Revolution, an evergreen tree on a white standard could be seen flying in Massachusetts and before long throughout all 13 colonies. The words and appeal to heaven became the decreed statement over the nation as this flag flew amid battlefields and encampments. This standard led the American revolution's grossly outnumbered and underresourced troops into battle repeatedly as they fought and won the war for American freedom. The flag's history is expansive and profound. In addition, I would like to say that I believe that our ICE officers and our uh federal employees that enforce immigration standards are

sorry, your time is up. Thank you very much. You have a good evening. Thank you. The next speaker is Margaret Martinez. Welcome.

Okay. Well, first, thank you for have continuing to have this public portion of the council meeting. Sometimes it's hard to find the right person or the right department for the issue that I'm going to describe to you. My name is Margaret Martinez. I'm the president of Highland Greens East HOA. Google and fiber installation was completed in our neighborhood recently at the end of March. It resulted in serious damage to the irrigation system in our common grass area along Wall Boulevard south of our HOA entrance at 102nd Avenue. That area is owned by the city, but our HOA has been faithfully maintaining that area for 40 years as specified in our ODP original development plan, which is on file with the city. I'm sure it was not the intention of the city or of the ODP to expect our HOA to pay for Google's installation damage. Our landscaper has spent five long days to diagnose and repair Google's cuts to the main control wire, serving 10 irrigation zones and about 200 sprinkler heads. He has also taken extreme precautions in doing the repairs to avoid harming Google's new fiber optic lines. The total cost of repairs is a little over $6,900. Our HOA had done our part leading up to the Google installation by investigating and responding to the 811 notification. As it turns out, that 811 notification did not include an accurate description of all that was actually done and which resulted in severing our main control lines. We are now asking for your help in filing a claim for the damage we have incurred. Please provide me with the appropriate contact information to do so. We are prepared to provide invoices,

pictures, and more detailed descriptions as needed. My contact information is at the bottom of this letter, and I'll leave this letter with the clerk um so you can contact me. We hope to hear from you soon. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Mike Worley.

Welcome. Thank you.

I do appreciate this uh this forum. Um I thank uh thank all of you for your time. I'm a 25-y year homeowner here at Westminster. Oh, sorry. My name is Mike Worley. I'm sorry. Um, uh, I work for a small business that's resided in Turnpike Boulevard for 20 years. Uh, my wife teaches in Westminster. My son works next door. I'm proud of Westminster. Um, I'm proud of what, uh, previous administrations have have been able to do. Unfortunately, I think that, um, uh, the current, uh, trend of this council, um, is not indicative of of our residents. Um, Miss Ireland, I I I thank you so much for your courage and your traditional values, but unfortunately, in my opinion, and I think in opinion of a lot of folks here, this council has strayed uh from the um values of most Westminster residents, um, I encourage you to listen and act with the same vigor of these comments as you have, um, for other items that maybe, Um, for example, you you may not dis you disagree with more often. Um, my issues are specifically with uh the homeless population. I live in Southwest Minister around um Harris Park, Bradurn Boulevard. Um I would um I disagree with a lot of the data that the Westminster uh homeless um committee uh brought uh last last couple of weeks. Um the homelessness in that area is is out of control on 72nd. Um I also mentioned I work on Bradber or excuse me on um Turnpike Boulevard just south of Little Kinta. You know, our small firm manages about $350 million of

regular people's money. Most of residents here in Westminster, and you know, we have to ask them to share a bathroom with the homeless in our in our suite because of uh the lack of enforcement. Um uh the Lita is disgusting. Uh Irving Street Library uh also in our in our neighborhood has become um a horrible place to take children. So, I would encourage uh everyone to remember that we are a city with the council, not the other way around. And uh our voices uh need to be heard with the same vigor as uh you give to uh say for example getting rid of ICE or putting up a pride flag. We would like the same vigor with these topics as as those topics. Um, I think that unfortunately, you know, this is a this is a serious job for serious people and it's kind of obvious watching the work that this this board is illprepared. So, I would encourage

Sorry, your time is up. Thank you. The next speaker is Ryan Roy. Welcome. Welcome.

Um, good evening mayor and council members. My name is Ryan R. I'm the Westminster resident. I'm here because I heard Pride flag was going to be flown and I feel we are overlooking a section of section of the population. I'm here today to advocate for the buying of the faith and addiction broken at the further across flag of our city. Westminster, like many communities across the country, is not immune to the devastating impact of the addiction crisis. This flag serves as a powerful symbol of hope and resilience for those currently struggling, those are recovering, and the families who have lost loved ones. Flying this flag represents more than just a religious sentiment. It signals community commitment to healing. It acknowledges the heavy burden of addiction while pointing toward the path of restoration and support. By displaying the symbol, the city of Westminster validates the struggle. It lets our citizens know that they are seen and that their battle with addiction is a priority for this community. It promotes healing. It highlights the role that faith and spiritual support play for many in finding the strength to overcome substance abuse. Fosters unity. It brings us together under common goal of supporting the vulnerable and celebrating the victory of recovery. I ask that you consider this flag as a beacon of solidarity for our neighbors in the darkest hours. Let's show that Westminster is a place where hope is championed and no one has to walk the road of recovery alone. I would also um think that the city the city should be doing everything in their power to work with federal law enforcement and ICE. They should be allowed in non-public places to apprehend those who have injured the country illegally. Remember that many of the president residents of the city voted for this and President Trump's agenda. Thank you for your timing of service for the city.

Thank you.

The next speaker is George Jarvis. Welcome.

Thank you. And thank you for letting me speak. First of all, um I want to acknowledge that I have a lot of respect and I appreciate the job that Christine Ireland has been doing. just like to get that out there. There's been some eloquent speakers. I'm not one of them. Um uh about the proposal for the pride flag and uh my opinion is I uh I don't think we should fly it. There's been much better uh ideas that have come across that against it. But if we do, I had not thought of this, but you know, maybe we could start flying other flags like if you're going to fly a pride flag, maybe Turning Point USA and um World Wildlife Federation. and there's some good organization, but I think you're getting into um into an area that probably don't want to get into because there's a lot of other issues that you should be working on. Um there was also a proposal about uh addressing immigration enforcement and again there were some uh very good I'm sorry I was looking at you guys. It doesn't sound like it doesn't look like anyone's listening. tonight. There we go. I just addressing immigration enforcement and um

I I'm in favor of ICE and it it's been said much more eloquently than I could. And um I'm going to give my time back. I'm going to help that beautiful lady who's coming up. who is in remission from cancer. Thank you. And the person who's coming up is Elise Jarvis.

Can I stand extra? Yes. Okay. Welcome.

Well, thank you. Hello, mayor and members of council. My name is El Jarvis and I'm a longtime resident of the city. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. I would like to address the proposals to add additional flags at city facilities and to restrict ICE agents from entering city buildings. Sorry guys, regarding the flag proposal, my concern is not with any one group or message, but with the presidents this is going to set for our city. Once the city begins displaying flags representing specific organizations or causes, it's going to open the door for many others to request the same recognition. This will place the city in a difficult position deciding which group are included and which are not, potentially leading to division within our community and even legal challenges over fairness and equal treatment. Additionally, I ask that you consider the practical implications. What is going to be the cost to taxpayers for new flag poles, the flags, and ongoing maintenance? Who will be responsible for managing this? These are important questions, especially at a time when residents expect careful and responsible use of their public funds. On the issue of restricting ICE agents from city buildings, I respectfully disagree with that proposal as well. Law enforcement agencies, including ICE, have defined responsibilities under the law preventing them from accessing public buildings could interfere with their ability to do their jobs and may expose the city again to unintended legal consequences. I support lawful im immigration and believe strongly in public safety and the rule of the law. I do not believe that allowing ICE access to our

buildings will pose a threat to residents or employees. In closing, I see my time's over. Thank you. Thank you. You have one more minute, ma'am. Oh, you're good. Thanks. Um, in closing, I respectfully ask the council to vote no on both these proposals. I believe doing so will help maintain fairness, avoid unnecessary division, and ensure responsible governance in our time. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Thank you.

The next speaker is Karen Shernhost. Hi, my name is Karen Charhost. I was born and raised in Colorado and I've lived in Westminster for 32 years. I believe in the correct pathway to legal immigration. I believe when people from other countries do not use the legal path to immigrate, they should be deported. Homeland Security should be allowed to secure and deport illegal immigrants in Westminster facilities. I support Homeland Security and want that flag flown in here in Westminster. Here are some of my reasons why I support two things. On April 3rd, 2026 in Miami, Florida, Robert Jacob, an illegal immigrant from Haiti, was arrested for bludgeoning an innocent mother to death with a hammer, hitting her six times in the head. The video showed that the first blow knocked her to the ground. Then he continued to hit her in the head. The video showed him smashing in her windshield while she was working in a small gas station. She came out and told him to stop, but he then approached her and killed her in broad daylight. Second, an 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman from New York, I'm sorry, Yorktown, New York, was going to a Chicago college and was shot by an e illegal immigrant on March 19th, 2026 from Venezuela named Jose Medina Medina. He shot her in the back while she was walking with her college friends. Now, here's three Colorado cases. On July 2024, Caitlyn Weaver, aged 24, was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by an unlicensed 16-year-old illegal immigrant from Colombia driving

his mother's Jeep at 90 mph in a in a residential zone in Aurora, Colorado. His name was not disclosed because he was a minor. January 10th, 2024, an illegal immigrant, Jose Guadalupe, was arrested and deported to El Salvador. He was charged with vehicular homicide. He crashed into a truck, his truck into a vehicle of a 47y old Broomfield, Colorado resident, Melissa Powell, and her 16-year-old son, Rearen, killing them. Jose had already had several prior convictions. November 9th, 2025, 19-year-old Eduardo Perro Kora, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was driving without a valid driver's license and traveling 100 miles an hour in Greley, Colorado. He ran a red light, slammed into a vehicle driven by a 27year-old Windsor, Colorado woman, killing her. In conclusion, because of these cases and more that aren't even being reported, we should allow Homeland Security to be able to do their job even in Westminster facilities. And I am in full support of flying their flag in Westminster. Thank you.

Thank you. The next speaker is Dan Field. Welcome.

Thank you. Good evening, Mayor Council. Um, I'm here to speak on a matter of public safety. Um, I live in, uh, I'm a city of Westminster resident. Um, I've been here a little over 5 years now. I live just east of Federal Boulevard and 74th. Um, very busy intersection. I have seen um in the five years uh countless accidents at that intersection. Um I don't know if there's been any deadly, but uh definitely where the they've had the intersection closed, the road closed. Um and just east of there, they the city recently um installed a speed bump because we get traffic um exceeding the posted speed limit in that area. So, they posted a I mean they've uh placed a speed uh bump there. And after they did that, they also um put up some cones to prevent people from parking in that area. Um and the intersection that I'm speaking of is 74th and Elliot. Um those cones that they put up, they actually put those cones um right on the end of the speed bump. the speed bump is right at the intersection which makes it difficult um to safely make a right turn from Elliot Street onto 74th. Um that's one uh concern that I have. The other um is um from Elliot to Federal um on the north side is a McDonald's. And I see almost every day I see cars making an illegal left-hand turn off of 74th into the McDonald's parking lot. Um about a week and a half ago, I was almost um a victim of an accident. As a result of that, I was trying to make uh

the left-hand turn on a blinking yellow um from southbound Federal onto eastbound 74th. Um there were two vehicles ahead of me. I was able to safely make that turn. However, the vehicle at the front stopped to try to make the lefthand turn illegal into the McDonald's. I almost got stuck in the intersection and struck by a vehicle. Thankfully, I was able to get them to move by honking my horn. But my concern is that I also have a roommate that was involved in an accident at that same exact intersection. Um, so I'm asking if there's a way that we can get those cones that were placed by the speed bump also in that section to prevent people from making that illegal left hand turn. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Donopa.

Welcome.

Good evening. Thank you. There are three issues I'd like to address this evening. Uh the subject of bike lanes came up and commuting in and out of Denver. I've ridden the trip from this part of Westminster into Denver many times. Making the trip back is not practical on the current the current bike trails because they're too steep to make the the trip. I've ridden a trip into Denver, hopped on a bus, and ridden the back the bus back. But you've got to if you're going to build bike trails, you need to um reduce the grains so that on the way back up the hills, they're manageable to pedal. Another issue that has come up, I'm not against trees. Uh but one of the items on the agenda for tonight was uh water issues and concern about water conservation. your uh plantings on uh Westminster on Church Ranch Boulevard at 103rd Avenue uh block the sight lines to make the left turn from eastbound Church Ranch onto westbound 103rd. And I've called the city in the past about those. Uh, it would be nice if you could remove those trees so I could see the cars coming uh instead of being blocked by the the trees that are in the center island. Would be helpful. Another issue that was on the agenda for this evening was an issue of um subsidized housing. I've been in the the mortgage business for 30 years and what I see among my customers is the possibility of housing that is uh less expensive than subsidized housing. But the downside to subsidized housing is that it blocks people from ever buying a house effectively because

the uh the income limits that are required to get into subsidized housing and the asset limitations to stay in subsidized housing keep those people from ever saving enough money to even pay the the closing cost on a loan. Um there are other options out there. sunshineomeshare um silver nest.com are means to to provide lowerc cost housing. If you're interested in more ways to house people at lower cost than subsidized housing, I can tell you plenty of stories. You've got my email, you've got my phone number. Be happy to talk to you after the meeting. Thank you.

Thank you. The next speaker is Diana Smith. Thank you. Welcome.

Thank you. Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Diana Smith. I'm a resident of Westminster. I'm here today because it is my understanding that a proposal is being considered to allow a pride flag to be flown at city hall. I'm very concerned about the way this action will impact and further confuse those individuals in our LGBTQ plus communities. According to the CDC and based on 2024 CDC related data, these are a couple of the key findings on suicide disparities between the LGBTQ plus community and heterosexuals. School bullying impact. 52% of LGBTQ plus youth reported being bullied, which triples their odds of attempting suicide. A 2024 United States National Survey found 39% of LGBTQ plus youth people seriously consider suicide in the past year, including 46% of transgender and non-binary youth. By flying a pride flag, you are sending a mixed message. One of promoting homosexual homosexuality and one of acceptance. But it isn't accepted. And sadly, the rates of suicide prove that. My flag represents the state with the name Colorado proudly displayed in front of the beautiful mountains that Colorado is known for. The cross represents the religious freedom that the colonists set out to America. The flag in the background, of course, includes the 50 states, one of which I have lived in practically all of my life, the beautiful state of Colorado. I would ask for your consideration of this flag. And second, I too am for ICE agents. They are saving

children and saving lives. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Dan Smith. Welcome.

Good evening. Thank you, Mayor and City Council. Uh my name is Dan Smith. I'm a 12-year resident of Westminster. Uh I did want to address item F. Um, one of the things I haven't heard yet is which flag could possibly be removed. There's five currently being flown out of the parking lot. Um, I see the three back there, so I'm guessing it's not the US, the state, or the city flag, which leaves the PM MIA flag. Hopefully, that's not one of them. The last one is the tree city flag. However, considering you just did the Arbor Day proclamation, probably guessing it's not going to be that one. So, that would mean maybe you're going to put up another poll. If you do, then I would propose that you put up a flag that would unite Americans. Uh, and I have passed it around. It's the Betsy Ross 250th anniversary flag, which would tie in well to your proclamation this evening on the 250th anniversary of our country. Uh, additionally, I would like to uh touch on resolution 11, the issue of the ICE enforcement. In November of 2025, survey of Coloradoadans, the number one concern in the state was affordability and number two was safety. Why would the council put barriers in the way of public safety? Thank you.

Thank you. The next speaker is Ellen Farb. Today is uh Yom Hashawa. It's a day of remembering the April 1943 Warso ghetto uprising of the Jews against the Nazis. And for the Nazis, it was a day in Poland that a whole civilization will die. Respect, dignity, inclusion, and freedom. These are some of the hallmarks of what America stands for. The freedom to be, to live freely, openly, without being assailed, attacked, without being governmentally discriminated against, without being economically discriminated, discriminated against, without persecution. You know that red and white striped flag with the blue canton in the upper hoist containing the 50 white stars that stands behind you has since 1777 come to represent freedom, dignity, respect, inclusion. The banners red symbolizes valor. The white symbolizes purity and innocence. The blue represents pers perseverance and justice. Valor, purity, perseverance, justice. Multi-meaning, multicolor. Take away any of those color symbols and you disintegrate, degenerate what the American flag represents. Imagine our star spangled banner without that blue canton that inclusively embraces our 50 white stars. That lost blue would erase the porer, the perseverance and the justice of what it represents for all of us under its banner. What a sad loss of the American ethos. The removing of justice, the removing of perseverance. Each of my grandparents arrived in this

country from different parts of Eastern Europe where they had faced being assailed, attacked, being governmentally discriminated against, economically discriminated, discriminated against, persecuted. Here in America, they could experience the opposite. Here in America, they persevered and they pursued justice for others. A justice that had once been denied to them. My grandfather, who owned a shoe repair shop, never charged anyone in uniform. He proudly displayed his red, white, and blue American flag in his shop. Our Starks spangled banner symbolizes his freedom, his justice. Besides our city and state flags, we also customarily fly such banners as that of the American military, MIAs, PWS because we honor the sacrifices of those approximately 83,000 people it represents. Flying a multicolored banner, the pride flag that represents almost 32 million people in America, nearly 1 in 10 who identify as LGBTQ plus, honors women, men, and children who too long still remain marginalized, discriminated against, even assailed and attacked because they are who they are. They are us. They are you. It's not a question of how many flags of different groups that we in the city should have to raise. It's about being what America represents. Respect, dignity, inclusion, freedom, and hoisting a pride flag. Well, that's about as red, white, and blue as we can be. Thank you.

Thank you. The next speaker is Cindy Green.

Thank you, mayor and counselors. I'm pretty simple person, so I make this pretty simple. Um, there's three issues that I have. Um, those three flags, um, especially the American flag, represent everything that I value and love in this world. Um, but if we're going to fly other flags, my granddaughter came up with a wonderful one, um, which I will submit to the clerk, um, because as the center of her life and mine, it's Jesus. So with that, I'm going to submit that. Um, and you guys can decide which is best. Um, I think other people have spoken more eloquently than I can about this issue, but I do believe that those three flags there represent everything we need and that's all we need. There is also the issue with the P flag, which I do believe is should stay because of the fact that those people did um have never some of them never of course came home and that should be respected in this country. Um, the next issue is the um, excuse me, the ICE issue. And I do believe if somebody breaks into your home, um, you call the police, somebody breaks into your country, I do believe I should be allowed to deport these people that were broken into our country illegally. And as a if they're criminal activity, they should be deported immediately and they should be allowed to be in all of our government facilities. Um, so I thank you for that. The third issue is the homeless population. I live off of I've lived in Westminster for 38 years and um off 120th. They seem to be dumping more and more homeless people. I don't know where they're coming from. Um but the trash is rampant and there's more and more of them. We have businesses along there and um we're getting sick and tired of trying to um put out fires that they're starting by our businesses and leaving their trash and it's a monitoring system that we have all the time, my husband and myself, of trying to make sure that

our businesses are safe um and they don't burn down. So, I appreciate uh the concern with the homeless population because it is getting worse. Um I do have some solutions. Um, but if you'd like to, you know, underscore that, have a discussion on that at some point in time. But those are the three issues that I have for you tonight. And I thank you for your time. Thank you.

The next speaker is Beth McConnell. Good evening council. My issue is also in regards to the pride flag. The number one responsibility of government is to keep its citizens safe. So I would want to fly a flag that says support for the police plus ICE. The police deserve utmost support and I am also greatly in favor of ICE. I would like to see the city of Westminster work with ICE. Tom Holman reported that ICE rescued 3,300 trafficked children while they were in Minneapolis. All traffic children deserve to be rescued and this includes the traffic children right here in Colorado. Thank you for your time. Thank you. The next speaker is Kathy Straoud. Welcome.

Thank you. Hi, my name is Kathy Stout. Um, those three flags behind Christine, Ireland are really the only flags we need. Um, the American flag, the state flag, the city flag. However, if we are going to entertain other flags, um, one is coming around is the Gatsson flag. The Gatsson flag was designed by Christopher Gadson, the commander of the South Carolina military in 1775 during the American Revolution. The Gadson flag represents colonial unity and resistance against the British tyranny. You know the actual king that we as Americans said no to. The Gatsson flag represents American independence, vigilance, and the assertion of individual rights against the overreach by any tyrannical government. The flag was flown by Hopkins, the commodor of the Continental Congress's naval forces on his ship, the USS Alfred, during the war. Why a coiled rattlesnake? The rattlesnake was only found in the American colonies and as noted by Benjamin Franklin was a symbol of alertness and lethal defense, never initiating an attack, but dangerous once provoked. The motto, don't tread on me, directly warned Great Britain against further encroachment on colonial rights. You could say that this was the original no kings flag as it symbolized limited government and individual liberty. I feel that this flag represents the American spirit as it was a born about the same time Americans fought for our country's independent identity. We are Americans and flying this flag at city hall unites and represents all of us

here in Westminster, in Colorado, and all across the USA. I'm proud to be an American. Aren't you? The second thing I'd like to talk about is your proclamation to I guess deny ICE access to city facilities. Is that what I I I believe that's what you have done. ICE is um well it's a federal agency. We have so many problems with illegal aliens. I mean we've heard from several people the amount of trafficked children they have found and of the crimes illegals have committed and are not held accountable for. We need to get rid of these people who have snuck into our country and seemingly want to do it harm. So I would suggest that we allow ICE here. We do not want to have riots and all this other nonsense that all these other cities have had in uh you know protesting this. Let's let's do the right thing. Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker speaker is Katie Cox. Good evening. Oh, sorry. Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Katie Cox, and I am submitting this comment in strong support of the city of Westminster, executing a lease agreement with Cloudbreak Energy for the development of a solar plus storage project located off of Highway 36 and West 112th Avenue or Counselor's Bill Number 15. Cloudbreak Energy is a Colorado-based renewable energy developer headquartered in Boulder. Our team is made of local experienced solar professionals with a combined 40 plus years of renewable energy development, project finance, and management experience. Cloudbreak was founded with a mission to bring the economic benefits of renewable energy to communities across the US through solar and storage land leases, power purchase agreements, and community energy solutions. Cloudbreak is a key player in the Colorado solar and storage industry with extensive experience coordinating with local utilities and municipalities, beginning with initial land evaluation to construction and ultimately power generation. The projects in Colorado that we are working on right now would generate enough electricity to power about 120,000 Colorado homes. Beyond Cloudreak's technical credentials, our firm has demonstrated a genuine commitment to environmental stewardship right here in Colorado. For example, in 2023, we planted the largest pollinator habitat in the Rocky Mountain West in partnership with the Ottabon Society. This kind of community- centered, thoughtful development aligns perfectly with the vision outlined in the city sustainability plan and positions the city to be a leader among Colorado municipalities in responsible community first renewable energy development. This lease would offer numerous benefits to the city, including fixed and predictable long-term lease revenue on a parcel with limited traditional development potential with zero capital expenditure required from the city. If this is approved, Cloudbreak will hold

community meetings and encourage feedback on the project design. Beyond being developers, we want to be good neighbors and community members across all of our projects. We are excited about the opportunity that this partnership represents for both the city of Westminster's fiscal health and for this community's role in Colorado's clean energy future. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. The next speaker is Julie Scott. Welcome. Thank you. My name is Julie Scott. I've been a um Westminster resident since the late 90s and I'm here to speak on two issues that have been extensively addressed tonight. So, I will try to keep my comments short because I believe other people have done a great job of pointing out all the different aspects of these. I submitted my um daughter's drawings of a flag that if we are entertaining multiple flags to have multiple um viewpoints shown up there that um she designed one for me that I thought she did an excellent job on. It's Jesus is the only king. Um but I agree we have our three flags. I think that's all that we need. I think there's a lot of um issues in addressing all this um that have already been discussed. And my other issue is I just want to express my support for ICE. I too want a safe community for my again for my daughters and our family to grow up in. And actually now I have a granddaughter. So that's also part of my concern. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. The next speaker is Jim Fenomore. Start.

Welcome.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, Staff. Jody Larry's West Minister got some concerns that I would like to just bring forth is it's really very disheartening and I'm questioning the legalities of it and also whether it's common sense or not. I've passed out this hand these flags and you're considering putting extra flag up for the LBGQ so group United States flag. We need the Colorado flag. We need the Westminister flag. We need we also need the P flag because people risked their lives. They died. They came back maimed. And you all wouldn't be sitting where you're at if it wasn't for the military protecting this country and making this country free. Page one, the gas flag. We already heard about that. Very good. Page two, the Christian flag. These are all flags that you want to take and approve. These are flags that need to be flown also. Number three, heterosexual flag. Number four. My paper's sticking together that. Okay. Goddess pro-life. Pro-life flag. Number five. American Indian movement. All the everybody's sitting in here on land that was owned by the Indians by my by my people. You wouldn't be here if you people and I hadn't stole it from them.

Number six, when tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. It's a patriotic and historical flag. Number seven, Hell's Angels. Number eight, Sons of Silence. Number nine, the Bandidos. Number 10, the Cowboy Flag. Number 11, the Kulex Clan flag. And number 12, the Confederate flag. There's a non-ending amount of flags. You accept the LGBTQ flag, it doesn't stop. What's the cost going to be? What's the design going to cost? What's the poles going to cost? What's insulation going to cost? Lastly, public safety is for the community. We need to allow ICE to work with our law enforcement. It protects law enforcement, fire, EMTs, police, and the sheriff's department. Thank you very much.

Thank you. The next speaker is Gary Bland. More paper or paper.

Simply go back to the last page. Everybody talk about flags. Make sure everybody gets it first. Before I start, I want you to turn back to this page right here. when you get that that paperwork. I got Jody there. It should go all the way around. Oh, you you already started me. So, this is a Christian flag. All those same colors are on that flag up there, the American flag. Alan already notified what those colors mean to me. and every patriot in this in this nation. So, what I want to do is mayor and council members, my name is Gary Bland, a Westminster resident. I I urge you to vote to amend the city flag policy to allow of the Christian flag alongside other special interest flags. The Christian flag is a symbol of faith and heritage for many in our community. I'm going to say it again. The Christian flag is a symbol of faith and heritage for many in our community. allowing it to be flown on city property recognizes and honors those residents beliefs and treats them equally with other groups requesting flag displays. I respectfully ask the city council to support equal recognition and trust in God for our Westminster residents by approving this amended flag. This is a

very important flag to me. So, I'm going to jump down to I got plenty of time here. I'm going to try to save some time for you guys. So, I just want to make a quote in the pledge of allegiance with this Christian flag. There's a quote in the the the allegiance, one nation under God. I want to look every one of you. I don't know. I know I've heard Obie I hope Obie hears this. He said he's Christian. I know of another Christian. I'd like to know just by a little wave. You don't have to say nothing. If you're a Christian, I want to see a hand up. I challenge you. This is simple. I want to go into another subject. This jumps out this along with Allen here. He knows uh we do quite a bit of stuff with the uh Presbyterian church. Um, just want to make sure that Christine Church, she has donated homeless packages for our homeless people. I think you know that, Alan. She also her her congregation paid for those turkeys on Thanksgiving. And I'm looking for more support with this this church that we represent, the Presbyterian Church. This man here does a lot more than I've ever done. And you need to look at him, too. He's great. My time's up. Thank you.

The next speaker is Tom Lampo. Welcome.

Hey, thank you very much. Hello to Westminster. Hello to all of you in front of me. Hope you all are well. I'm Tom Lampo and I'm here to lift Westminster up to the Lord in prayer. Please join me in prayer. Heavenly Father, in Jesus name, we invite you here to the city of Westminster. You are always welcome here. This is your city. We honor your name because you are the creator and the authority by which all goodness is revealed. There's nothing equal to you. We desire a city where all people can find comfort in calling Westminster home. You've given us leaders. Now give them the wisdom to lead the city in your righteousness. Proverbs 11:14 states, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors, there's safety." We all want a city we can call home, a city where we can lay roots and enjoy the abundance you have given us. Make Westminster a city where your holy nature and just character is our standard. Let this guide us as we move forward. Heavenly Father, we know that areas of our military are working to end the corruption that has guided our nation for many years. Their fight is real and goes mostly unnoticed. Comfort these troops with Psalm 35:1, which states, "Plead my c my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me. Fight against them that fight against me. Let all those engaged in the battle in this battle have the confidence in those around them and give them the knowledge that you go before them in their battles. Holy Spirit, come into our lives. We give you permission to work in our lives to keep us from areas we should not go. Galatians 5:16 says, "But I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. You were given us. You were given to us to lead and guide us. Left to our own understanding of our lives, we would choose what we desire. Help us to desire greater things that will produce fruit where there is

no condemnation. Guide us to your everlasting peace. You are our God and we are your people. In your precious name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you guys. Have a nice night. Thank you. God bless you.

The next speaker is Christine Wears. Thank you, mayor and councel. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about the rodeo nightclub. I know it's wearing me out addressing the toxic environment it is causing our city. I want to thank you all for your interest in the resolution of the Solaris Center regarding the Rodeo nightclub. I would like to address the lack of investigative followup from the city. My question is when is the city going to take the situation seriously? Are we waiting for an unforgettable event to occur? When will the city act before the community of Westminster is harmed? Over the last two months, the environment at the center has deteriorated significantly, leading to many police reports. Every weekend, they have a night event. Public drinking is going on prior to the event, during the event, and after. These individuals are getting on your city streets, putting innocent people into a possible deadly situation. You tell me to use the proper steps in reporting. that is being done and continues to be. I am showing you a file folder from the city Westminster Police Department for the last eight weeks that is for weekends only for the Solaris Center which are mainly rodeo patrons. These ma these are mainly fights even with a police officer was hit and intoxicated individuals coming from the rodeo nightclub. These safety concerns pose a significant threat to the viability of the center and the new downtown Westminster,

impacting both commercial businesses and resident property owners. I bet most of your community sitting here today and online does not realize that this is a toxic environment is in their backyard. The community needs to be aware. I ask you, why invest more money and time into the downtown area if you allow a nightclub to stay and destroy your beautiful community? Unfortunately, due to the uncertainty these issues create for Cocoapelli Beer Company, I have no alternative but to pause our commitment to the city regarding upcoming opening of the dog park until these matters are addressed. I am begging you all here to today to resolve as soon as possible so we can move quickly and give the community a wonderful fun place to bring their dogs and socialize with other community members. If you all love this city as much as I do, please review all complaints that have come in and addressed proper promptly. These issues are increasing and getting more violent. These issues are causing more cost and time to our community. Thank you kindly. Thank you.

Thank you. That was our last speaker.

Thank you, speakers. City Manager Andrews, do you have a report this evening? Mayor, thank you. I do have a brief report this evening. First, I would like to thank and recognize all of our public speakers who came forward tonight. We had um 30 tonight and do appreciate the um viewpoints expressed. I know our city council and our community does appreciate those as well. Um just before I get to my next slide, um I do want to uh clarify something that was said at a volunt at the volunteer recognition and uh first of all uh recognize Martha Hines who organizes all of those volunteers and she mentioned a number $1.2 $2 million for the program. And what she meant by that number is that's the value of the volunteers time. That's not actually what the city spends. In fact, she also mentioned how many volunteers we have. And they um they outnumber city employees 2:1 uh at a ratio. So uh I want to do a shout out also for our volunteer um community um who really uh triples uh the impact of our workforce by providing u $1.2 $2 million in equivalent time to this city each year. So, thank you to the volunteers. U next slide, please. Uh this is a big one for Westminster. Um Westminster um is co-hosting a front-range passenger rail town hall right here at city hall and Mayor Prom uh raised this in premeating. Um so please uh be welcome in joining uh commuting solutions which is the state's outreach team for a northwest metro region front range passenger rail town hall. That's a mouthful and what it really is is the uh plans to bring um passenger rail to the front range of Colorado. So that meeting uh will be co-hosted here at city hall uh from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. right here in city council chambers. Um, you can learn more about passenger rail before the meeting or you can wait and attend the meeting

or stream it online. Um, Front Range Passenger Rail uh has a website which is mobilize. us/ride the frontfront/event385 and we'll have a link to that on our web page so you don't have to uh remember that one. Next slide please. Also, by way of uh city update, uh we are getting very close to Westminster's inaugural restaurant week, and that kicks off on April 17th. Nearly 40 Westminster restaurants are offering exclusive multicourse menus at special pricing tiers. Uh restaurants have also contributed more than $3,500 in gift cards towards prizes and getaways for Westminster restaurant customers. So, uh, experiencewest.com, uh, visit there for menus, participating restaurants, and more event details. And that runs from April 17th through April 26th this year. Next slide, please. Also, by way of city update, this is my last uh, update slide. Uh, Chief, Fire Chief Eric Burke was busy uh, pitching this at our at the International Association of Fire Chiefs uh, conference recently. Um and I'm proud to announce on behalf of our fire department um and our chief that Westminster was selected as the host city for the International Association of Fire Chiefs 2028 Missouri Valley Division annual conference. So that will come to Westminster in 2028. Our chief um and our uh department will host that. Um, the IAFC or the International Association of Fire Chiefs represents leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. And this conference positions Westminster as a hub for fire service leadership. And we heard from two representatives from our fire union tonight, leaders actually of our local fire union um supporting um our uh recommended changes to the fire ordinance. And so uh this is great timing um uh those events coming together. Next slide, please.

I have four slides on tonight's agenda. It's a a full one, some of which we've um completed. Uh the first item in premeating, uh not finished yet. So, this will now move to post meeting at the end of the evening, and that is a discussion uh by city council of possible amendments to city council's rules and regulations and the city council's code of conduct and protocols. And so, got a start on that uh before 7:00 and that will be wrapped up after all of the other agenda items tonight. Um, next up, um, we did hear a presentation, uh, of an one employee service award to Dave Vney, 30 years of service for our fire department. We heard the four proclamations this evening. If I could have the next slide, please. Um, under city manager manager report, I have two uh, um, information uh, memos in your packet and this is publicly available. Uh, the first is on the city's water conservation and efficiency programs. That's an update to report on those for the year 2025 and the same reporting out for our water bill assistance program. So, both of those programs very important to the community and you can find all the data and how those programs uh did in 2025. On consent agenda tonight, we have 11 items that includes six second readings. Two of those consent agenda items uh have been removed from consent and will be voted on separately after the uh group of uh consent ag consent agenda items have been voted on. Under new business this evening, uh, city council will be, um, looking at a first reading of councelor's bill 15, and that's, uh, that was referenced by one of our speakers tonight regarding a lease agreement with Cloudbreak Energy Colorado for a solar and energy storage project on city- owned property at 112th Avenue and US 36. Uh, next up will be first reading of councilor's bill 16 regarding an economic development agreement for the origin hotel in downtown Westminster. Next slide, please. Also under new business, four more

items. Resolution 10 regarding city council's role in the approval of multifamily official development plans as well as first reading of councilor's bill number 17 to discontinue concept plan reviews. Next will be first reading of councelor's bill 18 that amends chapter 34 of the Westminster municipal code regarding collective bargaining for firefighters. That was what I uh just referenced earlier and we had two speakers from our union uh speak to to tonight. Resolution number 11 addresses immigration enforcement in Westminster city facilities. We heard many speakers tonight on that one as well as consideration of displaying a pride flag at city hall and designing an official city pride flag. That was also spoken to by many speakers tonight. On old business, we have second reading of councelor's bill number 13 updating the regulation of massage parlors. And um you will hear from the city attorney that we are recommending postponement of uh the second reading of this bill uh in light of state legislation which is coming through and we'll want to have that state legislation um go into effect analyzed and then we'll bring uh uh something back to you on that once that legislation has landed. So that one will uh is recommended to be postponed this evening. Next slide, please. Uh, also, uh, tonight we do have a meeting of the Westminster Economic Development Authority. That will happen after all the items I just described. And as one item of new business, and that is an amended lease agreement between uh, the Westminster Economic Development Authority and Olive Garden. And this is the one where the Olive Garden has requested um, um, to move out of its lease with us in downtown Westminster uh, because they are relocating to Walnut Creek in Westminster. So, uh, leaving downtown but moving over to Walnut Creek. Next slide, please. This week, we have two items, um, um, coming up, uh, on Tuesday. So, tomorrow night, the planning commission is meeting right here at city hall. That starts at 700

p.m. We also have on Wednesday, April 15th, a special permit and license board meeting, also here at city hall, and that one begins at 6:00 p.m. Next slide, please. For our next meeting of city council, it's a study session meeting. That's next Monday, April 20th, and that will begin at 6:30. We have two presentations, um both very uh topical for our community and city council. The first will be uh from Excel Energy and they're going to provide an update on electrical infrastructure and capacity planning in the city of Westminster and surrounding um service area. So, uh that one is very important to us. And the second item is 2026 Westminster bienial community survey overview. So um this is a survey year for us. We do those every second year and so our communications uh manager will be running through that with city council. Then we have an executive session item which is discussion discussion of a personnel matter and that's the quarterly check-in for uh city manager. Next slide please. That's all I have uh mayor for my presentation. Access Westminster is a great resource to report concerns or things that uh our community likes would like to have addressed um out there. Uh our phone number is 303658-2400. Our website which we are continually updating is westminster co.gov and do check out our transparency portal at westminsterco.gov/93transparency and that will show you where every dollar uh is spent that we collect. That's all I have. Mayor,

thank you so much. Council, are there any questions on the city manager report? Okay, moving on to council reports. Sure. Uh, we've got a request for a 5m minute break. Let's go ahead and do that. We will, uh, reconvene at 9:07. All right.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

what um we are doing. Um and then um I'd also like to thank our uh fire union for speaking and then also um for the person who came to advocate um for bike lanes and then the HOA um who came to talk about um damage from Google Fiber. Um also um the traffic concerns on 74th and Elliot and then with uh Cloud Break. Um so my request is that you do not use batteries made by Tesla. Um, I know that you use batteries made by Tesla and if we are partnering with people, um, I would prefer that we are not enriching people like Elon Musk. Um, and then, um, I do have a request from our city attorney. Would you please explain why the Supreme Court ruling does not apply to us flying the pride flag outside of city hall if it is approved and why legally as city council we can choose which flags we do and do not fly.

Thank you councelor. Um, as council is aware, um, uh, the city attorney provides legal advice to the board and has provided legal advice on this subject to the board, including a memorandum with which expresses legal opinion. Um, but I would say is anformational um, way to respond to that question. Uh, the Boston case involved a public forum more than it involved government speech. So I think that if city council wishes to make a statement that is government speech that is not the same as creating a public forum. So I think that uh was critical to the analysis um to anyone that reads that opinion. Thank you.

Um also um there are many pride flags that are flown at city halls all throughout the country. Uh we have uh in Erie, we have in Broomfield, we have in Denver, and that's just off the top of my head. Um city uh there are cities in states that fly the flag 247 in Utah, in Florida, in Montana, in Idaho. This is not new. This is this is not uncommon. Um and um the LGBTQ uh population has been um under attack. Uh many of the flags tonight are not by groups that are under attack. Um and we we live in a diverse uh city. We live in an inclusive city. And so it is a symbol saying that everyone belongs. Again, this is not new. Uh Westminster would not be the first city to fly this flag. Um we would be joining many many city uh cities across the country. And um yeah, I believe that is all I have to say. Thank you very much,

Councelor Johnson.

Thank you, Mayor, and thank you to the speakers that came out tonight. Um I heard a lot of really important comments around things in our city. Um I especially appreciate the road safety issue that was brought up around 74th Federal and my um frequented and favorite McDonald's. And I understand the road safety issue there and and I appreciate that our city manager is going to look into that. Um I wanted to raise an issue that we've touched on a lot as a city uh in the last week, but we want to remind people which is about our water use. Um both as a city and as a community, we are facing a historic level of drought in our community. And that's not only going to affect um every individual household, but also our neighboring communities and our state as a whole. Um it has, you know, going to have it's going to have a tound profound impact on our state. Um you know, as we move into fire season, um not only here, but around the state, we're going to see our resources stretched. So, as a city, we have stepped up and are reducing our water intake. Um and we're also going into drought watch uh at the end of this week on Thursday. And I think it's important to remind people that while drought watch is voluntary restrictions um by voluntary complying with these restrictions or reducing your water intake by um 10% which is mostly you know changing your irrigation habits if you own a single family home and irrigate your lawn um or you know things like how many car washes you get. This small measure can have a really tremendous impact on our community. And so I wanted to raise uplift this point because I think it's really important and any steps that we can take now will have a great impact on whether we move into further restrictions uh later this year. Um I also wanted to thank all the firefighters who came here today. I know um Corbin and August both spoke on their behalf, but all of them showing up was a a really important signal to us as a

council and we appreciate the work that was done by the fire union um as well as our city staff and our city attorney's office and we could not be more proud to I could not be more proud um to have worked on this and more proud to move that ordinance forward and I I wanted to say how much I appreciate everyone who worked on it. Um, the last thing I want to talk about is something that I was going to save for later when we actually raised this counselor's bill, but I think given in light of public comment, it's important to say now, and it's spending a moment on agenda item 11E, which prohibits ICE on city property. This agenda item is not about politics. This is about people. I have heard immigrants in our community referred to as those people. And I want to be clear on one thing. Those people are mothers. their fathers and their families. Those people are business owners, their students, and they are workers. Those people are my neighbors, my friends, and residents of Westminster. This agenda item is about the city that we want to be right now. The reality is this. Our immigration system in this country is failing us. Across the country and right here in Colorado, we have seen a pattern. Families torn apart, communities living in fear, people detained without clear access to legal support. These are not isolated incidents. They are a systemic problem created specifically to oppress a group of people. These inhumane detentions not only violate people's rights, they put their very life at risk. Detention conditions, including inadequate medical care and oversight failures, continue to persist. In some cases, even children have suffered neglect while in custody. This should stop all of us in our tracks.

This system has effectively disappeared people in our country, something more akin to a dictatorship than a democracy. Tyranny doesn't just stop with immigrants in our community. There are widespread cases where ICE has inappropriately use force against protesters, expressing their First Amendment rights, their Second Amendment rights, and even innocent bystanders. These people have been verbally abused, pepper-sprayed, maimed, and even killed. Beyond these headlines and tragedies, there is a deeper issue with what this is doing to our society. When people are afraid to report crimes because they fear deportation, public safety suffers. When families are separated, communities are destabilized. When enforcement becomes aggressive, opaque, and oppressive, the very trust in our government erodess. As a civil rights attorney, one of the areas that I am keenly aware of are practices that ICE undermines all of Americans basic liberties, including protections against unreasonable search and seizure, liberty, and rights and due process. Every single day, courts here in Colorado issue orders against the federal government that their enforcement is against the law. ISIS actions are making our very state and country less safe. They are eroding the very fabric of our constitutional government. So we have to ask ourselves, is this working? Is a system that relies on fear, detention, and separation actually making us safer, or is it doing the opposite? We can have an immigration system that is fair, humane, and accountable. We can prioritize real public safety threats instead of casting wide nets that harm

innocent people. And we can invest in upholding dignity instead of undermining it. This is not about ignoring the law. It is about protecting it. This is about ensuring that im our immigration system reflects our highest values, not our worst instincts. Those are the values inscribed on our Statue of Liberty. A message to the world of values that we once held as a country. Give me your tired and your poor. your huddled masses yearning to be free. We are better than this. If we believe in justice, if we believe in fairness, and if we believe in human dignity, not only should we do this, but we have a responsibility to demand something better. I could not be more proud to vote for this ordinance and I think that this is not the very minimum that we can do as as a group. Thank you, mayor. Thank you, Councelor Ireland.

Thank you everyone that came out and expressed your First Amendment rights. I I appreciate the turnout and for you expressing how you feel about the pride flag and ICE and public safety on our roads. We've heard about that road for weeks and it's still nothing has happened. So that's hopefully we can do something there to make it safer. Um, Gber Google Fiber I hope will be responsible for the the damage they made in a HOA. I know that they've made damage on other people's property. There's a lot of people that were not happy, but there are people that are happy because they have fast Google Fiber now. So hopefully Google will be responsible for their damages. Um Christine wears I still feel feel what you're feeling pain for you. Hopefully we can find an answer. Um Don Oopeka, thank you for your um your thoughts and hopefully we can follow up about your suggestions for people to afford home ownership instead of being stuck in apartments for their whole entire life. I believe in home ownership. Um, so I hope that I I'm going to follow up with you with your ideas and also those people that had ideas about how to solve our homeless problem. I appreciate I appreciate your thoughts and your suggestions. Um, I have two statements that I want to make. Um, we heard from councelor Johnson about ICE. I have one myself. A straightforward case for allowing ICE personal personnel into city government buildings without a warrant starts with the fact that these are public spaces. Places like courouses, city offices, and service centers are generally open to

anyone who walks in, and people don't have the same expectation of privacy there as they would in their own homes or private offices. Police officers and other law enforcement agencies already operate in these kinds of public settings without needing warrants just to enter. So requiring ICE to do something different can feel like an unnecessary extra hurdle rather than a meaningful legal safeguard. It also comes down to the idea that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. Under the Constitution, federal law takes priority and local governments aren't supposed to interfere with federal agencies carrying out their duties. If a city blocks ice from entering buildings that are otherwise open to the public, it doesn't just create a procedural inconvenience. It can actively undermine the enforcement powers that federal law gives them. On top of that, there's a fairness and consist consistency issue. If local police or federal agencies like the FBI can access public buildings without special restrictions, singling out eyes for different treatment creates a double standard. Keeping the rules consistent helps ensure that all law enforcement operates under the same bas basic expectations in public spaces. As to the pride flag, thank you for sharing all your flags. As you know, I already made a statement about um special interest group flags. And I think that these three flags re represent the majority and I still feel that way especially when I see all these flags. But if we're going to go there with a pride flag, I think that we should let the community decide on another flag. Um, the Christian flag would be one that I would support. I think over 50% of our population is Christian in our city and under 10% is supportive of Pride flag. So, just from the majority that came out tonight, I I think that one was one that was used the most. Um, but honestly, I'd rather just

see these three. It comp it makes it less complicated. I know they support they reflect the majority of us and it's not going to be an expense to our taxpayers to keep fighting about flags. So, that's what I support. That's why I will be voting no for both of these 11 E and 11F. Thank you for your time. Councelor Brahas.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, and thank you for all those who came out to speak uh at public comment. Um particularly those who had any sort of nervous energy around speaking. I echo that. I you know, sit up here and I still get nervous every single time and I don't think that'll go away. So, I definitely um empathize and I'm grateful for for everyone choosing to speak. I wanted to give uh just a few updates. Uh we really appreciated the you know councelor Johnson spoke about the um community update the uh the mayor and council community update that happened last week uh about water restrictions. And while I won't repeat what was said then and here today about the water watch, I just wanted to just say a big thank you to all the community members who came out who spoke. I think every single person who was there was really grateful. uh for the city staff who gave their expertise uh for the council who showed up and kind of took the questions and I think the residents were really excited to hear the questions that each other were asking and to hear the answers that the city gave. So uh as these updates happen every single month uh please you know anyone who is listening, anyone who's here, please continue to join us at those. I think those are very helpful. We cover a v variety of topics and uh answer a lot of questions that I think uh either are assumed or you know thought that we don't address. Uh I want to give a special thank you to those who came out and spoke about uh the persistent homelessness um population that they're seeing in our city. I am would like to take this opportunity to to note that I attended my first class for the NLCU um local solutions to end homelessness. It's an online class and it's a a class put on by the National League of Cities University uh which is just a um you know a set of classes. There's a variety of topics but I thought this was the most important one. Uh, and I'm happy to share that thanks to uh, you know, some help from the city, I was able to apply for a scholarship and I'm able to take that class free of charge. So, at no cost to the city. Uh, so

that's just kind of me showing up and and being able to ask questions that are specific to our city and it's really helping shape the the context of that class and I look forward to kind of sharing best practices and advocating for a lot of the policies that uh either we are currently doing or stuff that we're not doing uh that is proven to show that it can address uh the issues that I think we're all seeing uh in front of us today. I also like to thank uh the I took notes on every single person who spoke but I there were so many I can't uh call back the name but the HOA the person who spoke about the HOA and Google fiber issue and I you know I think those sorts of comments are really helpful for the city to to hear as we uh tamp down what voluntary water reductions look like and so I appreciate um them bringing that to our attention and I also appreciate the city u you know any attention we can give to that particularly around best practices. I know that um the call before you dig only does um utility lines. So that's like gas and and city water but not residential water pipes. And if there's some sort of solution where city property that has, you know, non official pipes running through it, you know, and being able to have some sort of historic map around that. I believe that would be helpful uh to be able to especially when the city is kind of uh using some sort of easement to to do digging around there. I think that'd be helpful to one avoid problems, avoid water waste, and um it'd be helpful to see the city allow an easier time for residents to find restitution around these damages as well. Um and yeah, I I think there's other comments. I I I'm excited to kind of continue the discussion based off of uh the feedback that we've been receiving from the community for the last couple of weeks around um these issues that we're going through in the agenda. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor Promilla.

Um thank you. I will keep my comments very brief. I appreciate um all of our community members coming in to speak about a wide variety of issues and I appreciate their sharing their passion um and their values. And I um just wanted to add one quick note because I did um one thing resonated with me for a couple of folks who were expressing their concern about homelessness in our community. Um it is sometimes very overwhelming to think about like you just it is a it just continues to impact and um all of us and um it's it's hard to think about uh there's not there's no easy answer, right? We're I think there's so many different levels that we're working on that. So, I just wanted to highlight that this is something that we continue to work on. On the um April 30th, at the end of the month, we're going to be going to our second regional housing forum with um Jeff Co to focus on this issue. And so, just know it's um something that we are working to address on staff and putting dollars towards this and putting our time and efforts toward towards this. and we appreciate everybody's um you know working with us and and trusting us that we are doing our very best to um keep people in their homes, find homes for people. I mean some of the things on our uh agenda tonight are are part of that. So thank you

councelor.

No ma'am.

Okay. Well, we have uh several different areas in our agenda to discuss the items that were brought up this evening and so I will save the majority of my comments for that. Um but I do want to call out a few of the items that were brought to our attention and I'm sure city staff is uh working on it. Um but thank you to the gentleman who talked about the um area on 74th and Elliot. Um safety concerns are our job and our number one priority. So that's what we're here to do. Um, as far as uh the bike lanes, I've heard the suggestion before and I am fully a proponent of figuring out how we uh make safe additional bike lanes in our city uh to make the city more accessible because not everyone has a car. Speaking for myself, I navigated the city for years without a car and we should have a clear way uh from here and back to Denver. And so I appreciate that. Um my understanding as far as the BRT, which again I was also a big proponent for and voted for to happen, um I believe that that design is complete and so I don't know that we can make those changes, but I will of course bring it up and advocate for it to happen. Um I just believe that we might have to do what I hope we can do as a council, which is a full uh transit study. And then that would look at all of our trails, all of our streets and all of our um bike access lanes and really do a more full comprehensive look at at how we make ourselves more connected within our community and to others. Um but thank you for bringing that to us. And then um there are a few other items as well um such as uh in the city manager report earlier, I just wanted to call out uh a big congratulations to our fire chief um for winning uh the conference selection at our site. And I call that out as well as as it will come up later in our

agenda. um the importance of uplifting all of our staff and um just I'm speaking to fire uh in particular right now because we live on the WOOI as they call it on the wildland urban interface and I'm not sure that everyone fully appreciates what a risk that is you know to uh our homes and to our families and it is extremely important that we figure out how to support and resource uh our fire as well as possible so that they can do what they need to do to keep us safe and protected. Um and to keep our environment safe and protected, we're here to uh manage both. Um as far as the other items on the agenda, I'm going to save that for later. Thank you so much. And that will bring us to the consent agenda. Do I have a motion for uh consent agenda items 8A, 8 C through 8J? Mayor Promla,

I move to approve consent agenda items 8A and 8 C through 8J. Councelor Brahos. Second. Thank you. The motion has been moved and seconded. Councelor Brahas. Yes. Mayor Carmelia. Yes. Councelor Isadi. Yes. Councelor Hot. Yes. Councelor Ireland. Yes. Councelor Johnson. Yes. And Mayor Promla. Yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote. Thank you. May I have a motion for agenda item 8B? Uh, councelor Brahas.

Uh, I move that the city council pass councelor bills counselor's bill 9 but with language added between the last word of the second sentence in section three and before the period at the end of that sentence stating as follows. board to proposed event centers that have obtained prior to adoption of this moratorum either a building permit for construction or a proper business license for the prop proposed event center. Thank you. Mayor Prom second. Any further discussion? Roll call, please. Mayor Carmelia, yes. Councelor, yes. Councelor Hot, yes. Councelor Ireland, yes. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Promla. Yes. And councelor Brahos.

Yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote. Thank you. May I have a motion for agenda item 8K, the agreement with the community firm? Uh, councelor Johnson. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move to authorize the city manager to execute an agreement with the community firm doing business as community economic defense project to provide rental and mortgage assistance for Westminster re residents and move in financial assistance for navigator clients for an annual amount not to exceed $375,000 with the city option for a 4year four one-year renewals subject to annual appropriations. Thank you, Mayor Prom. Second.

Thank you. Do roll call, please. Oh, any further discussion? Yes. Uh, councelor Ireland. Um, so I took this item off the agenda because I have some unanswered questions and this item hasn't been thoroughly discussed by city council. So, I want to acknowledge that we all care about helping people stay in their homes and preventing homelessness. This repo proposal raises some mental questions that I need some clear answers. and maybe you can address it, Eric. Why is the level of funding what it is and what exactly are we expecting in return?

Councelor Ireland, thank you for your question. Uh Eric Oselberger, parks, recreation, libraries director. So, this uh item is being brought forward after a competitive procurement process that five uh nonprofits in the space competed in. uh community economic defense project has been successful uh since 2021 um preventing a little north of 36,000 evictions. So so homelessness prevention is what we're aiming for here. Um they uh roughly through different partnerships have uh basically programmed 280 million across the greater Colorado area. So they they have a a strong track record of experience. So really it's it's homelessness prevention when there is that bump in the road with rent and mortgage assistance with wraparound services to help uh navigate certain legal or financial matters. Rent assistance, mortgage assistance. There are uh clear intake procedures, documentation, caps. um you know, we're we're limited in our resource with with everything that we do. Um looking at our our data, we were actually comparing, you know, we we've had roughly over 500 clients in the Navigator program since its inception. Uh and half of those have been chronic homeless and half are newly homeless. So this this is really aimed at that prevention and and trying to manage the potential growth of the unhoused population because it is it is more cost effective.

Um you know there there are caps you know for the rent assistance it's it's seven 7 months and a 12 12 month period with a maximum of 10,000. So that there are some sideboards and safeguards into this. You know, we did negotiate a 13page scope of work. So um we're

so how do we evaluate it after a year if it's success? What do we considered successful? Because to me it's long-term stability. Do we help people get a job? I mean what are we what is our intent just to make sure they're not homeless for seven months and then they are? I mean, I want them to be self- sustaining. That's that's the outcome I want from the taxpayer money being spent on homelessness.

Yes. And and counselor, I appreciate that. I understand that. I think the ultimate outcome metric would be evictions prevented or for foreclosures prevented. Um our our current we were looking at our current client load right now. Roughly half of that we're at 109 right now. Half are newly homeless. So we're trying to get through this effort. How many are we going to be able to help of the new homeless and the ones that are already homeless? Are we going to just try to help the ones that are may get homeless or the ones that are already homeless? Th

this is this is trying to get upstream. So So understandably we have more work to do. uh the team and I we spent uh two plus hours preparing for our next enga policy engagement with you all on the steps program rapid rehousing is something want to explore with you but this is getting upstream of that whether it's the unhoused community or a lot of things I I know it's cliche but it's true prevention is less expensive than the response

you know and and just and just looking even at what we're doing with vouchers you know one one voucher, it's $110 a night. So, we're in in good faith bringing this forward because of the cost effectiveness of the prevention strategy and what Ced has successfully done in this space for the last 5 years. But to your point, we will absolutely evaluate this and we want to make sure, you know, with our limited resource, are we seeing the results and really having an impact? Yes, I want results driven solutions, not just throwing money at it and hope something sticks. That we do with a lot of things actually. Um, and some of these NOS's that we hire, a lot of their money goes to administration, lobbying, and it doesn't go to the people. So that's another concern with the one that we chose because I looked at their 990 and they have eight or nine employees make over 100,000 a year and 92,000 bid on lobbying. So the people are they really being helped? Are we really helping the NGO? Are they really helping these people? That's my question. And that's why the taxpayers are upset with all these things that we throw at homelessness because there is no changes being made. I I understand uh where you're coming from. This is a larger organization that has several lines of business. What we've negotiated in the scope, counselor, um there are costs with administrating um this program, the administration, it's 5.7%. That's lower, at least in my experience, than than a lot of, you know, sometimes you're at 10, even even approaching 20.

Thanks for that number because most people don't have it. And I appreciate that you do, Eric. So, so, so, so, yeah. So, what what's before you this evening, it's a not to exceed, you know, we're talking Westminster households only. That program administration would be a little over 20,000.

And why did we pick 375,000? Was that the magic number? That is what in in the competition for limited resource with within our budget for this, we in in good faith and confidence think, you know, we can we can manage this. And once again, that cost effectiveness of prevention versus the response. You know, we we'll talk more in the not too distant future about some cost realities from the response function, but this is this is our best professional recommendation at this time.

Okay. I just and I want to know what the landlord if they really need evicted because they're doing illegal activities, do they do we still bail them out?

No. and and and in in that um and I know in that 13page scope there's a pretty exhaustive list of you know for for everyone's benefit because we we understand and appreciate a program like this uh would receive significant scrutiny that the due diligence of evidence provided um if there other things of foot you know really really what we're aiming at here is um for what they balance for for inability to pay even, you know, if that's a hiccup in employment that, you know, it sometimes it's just a month or two to bridge. It's like if we can, you know, just the trauma and the disruption of that eviction and and just the costs that come downstream and the response that that's what we're trying to get at.

All right. Thank you. Thank you for having the answers. Thank you, Councelor Brahas.

Uh thank you, Madame Mayor. Uh and I thank you councelor Ireland for bringing this uh kind of to the attention of the the community. You know the first lesson that we learned in our class was preventative uh measures are the cheapest thing and you know I think it's great that we have the fire department or the fire union here today because they're always the the group that I go back to. We spend a decent amount of money with uh fire marshals and getting planning codes, ensuring that the a lot of expenditures of our fire is on preventative measures, ensuring that we have sprinklers, ensuring that uh buildings are building up to code so that fires don't spread. And while I will pit our fire department against any department in the nation with our ability to save and bring um high the highest level of service to our residents, uh you know, I hope every day they're bored because that's the the healthiest and safest. And uh I thank you, Director Alzberger, for having all of that data. I think this is an incredible uh investment to prevent and no one sees it, right? Like we might see an increase, but without this, we would see a precipitous increase. Um and I think uh your uh note about uh eviction numbers uh particularly when we compare them nationwide where you're seeing higher and higher costs of living that are driving people uh to make more and more difficult decisions particularly when it comes to you know their ability to commute to work with or without a car even if they own one because of rising gas prices. and the this sort of endeavor is critical in ensuring that the problem doesn't get worse and I appreciate um the comments made earlier that you know more needs to be done which is really expensive to those who are already unhoused because if we're trying to find a solution to that problem it is exponentially more expensive per person and so uh thank you for this preventative work I am an emphatic yes for this um agreement particularly with how good of a deal it is for Westminster. We're getting um an

incredible deal with an massive organization and honestly getting an outsized uh effort from them with our uh kind of limited funds. So, thank you. Thank you. Any further discussion? Okay. Roll call, please. Yes. Oh, I apologize. Council Rosati.

Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to say that um you know it's it's no secret that affordability is my top priority. So I wanted to just say a counter to councelor Ireland's comments. Um I really disagree. You know I think that this is such an excellent implementation of council's priorities. You know, just to add to what council Baraz was just saying, um I'm proud to support this investment of up to $375,000 because that is the best way to address homelessness. You know, the best way is to prevent it, right? This funding keeps our families housed. It prevents displacement. It accelerates those pathways to permanent housing, which we always talk about, but really good policy needs to be preventative, and that's why we're all here. You know, I actually talked to residents. I talked to lots of them. I've actually walked the grounds of where a lot of our unhoused people tent up. I've actually spoken to residents who are currently housed and just need a temporary helping hand to keep them housed. The best way is to prevent it. And I agree that the long-term stability, you know, that is a shared goal with everyone on this council, but this investment prioritizes immediate affordability relief, which will keep our families housed and accelerate those pathways. And like director Austiner said, the 50% of our unhoused population are newly homeless. So that means we got to move upstream. And if prevention is less expensive than reacting, I don't understand why there would be any arguments against this because I thought our goal is to be fiscally responsible

and caring for our community. So, I just wanted to thank city manager Andrews, Director Aenberger, and all of staff for really reflecting the direction from city council on bringing this forward. I'm proud to support this tonight. Thank you. Roll call, please. Councelor Hazati, yes. Councelor Hot, yes. Councelor Ireland, yes. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Pro Nurmela, yes. Councelor Barahas, yes. And Mayor Carmelia, yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote.

Thank you. There are no appointments or resignations this evening and there is no uh public hearings scheduled for this evening. That brings us to new business and so we will now move on to new business beginning with councelor bill number 15. Do I have a motion? Mayor Promilla. I move to pass counselor's bill number 15 on first reading to approve a lease agreement with Cloudbreak Energy Colorado LLC for the purpose of developing a solar and energy storage project on a portion of 23.5 acres of city-owned property located east of US 36 and south of West 112th Avenue.

Councelor Hut second. Thank you. Any further discussion? Roll call, please. Councelor Hop, yes. Councelor Ireland, yes. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Prom Nurmela, yes. Councelor Barahas, yes. Mayor Carmelia, yes. And councelor Isadi, yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote.

Thank you. That that brings us to uh a motion for councelor bill number 16 for the economic development agreement regarding the origin hotel. Do I have a motion? Mayor promill. I move to pass councelor's bill number 16 on first reading authorizing the city manager to execute a first amendment to the second amended and restated economic development agreement with Westminster Hotel LLC concerning the Origin Hotel located at 8875 Westminster Boulevard in downtown Westminster. Thank you, Councelor Hop. Second. Any further discussion? Okay, roll call, please. I have something to say. Councelor Ireland.

I will be voting no on counselor's bill number 16. I support honoring commitments that are already made, which is why I agreed to a remainder of the original approved 497,000 in tax breaks for the origin of hotel, which was approved by a former city council. That was a promise made by previous council, I believe, in following through on those obligations. However, expanding that amount to over 900,000 or extending it over five years without any clear business plan showing how the hotel intends to turn things around is not something I can support. At some point, it stops being about honoring commitments and starts becoming preferential treatment. I cannot justify approving what would amount to nearly three million in total tax breaks for a single business since it opened. that raises serious concerns about fairness, accountability, and responsible use of public resources. So, I would know.

Thank you. Any further discussion? Okay. Well, then I'll add my own comments here on this one. Um, we I believe as we move to build up and invest in the new downtown development are very fortunate that the origin hotel has worked as hard as it has to remain where they are located and not try to move out or move forward. They are uh really a founding member of what we are building there. And uh while we have partnered with them to help them this way, they are partnering with us as well. It's a two-way street. And so I think that uh we should be so lucky to build up and support our partners in these important ways while we've gone through things like the COVID pandemic uh and other economic struggles. So with that, I am really grateful to them for continuing to work with us. Roll call, please. Councelor Ireland,

no. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Proim Nurmela, yes. Councelor Baras, yes. Councelor, I'm sorry. Mayor Carmelia, yes. Councelor Zati, yes. And councelor Hot, yes. The motion passes on a 61 vote. Thank you. That brings us to the item on resolution 27. Do I have a motion for resolution 27 regarding multif family ODPS? Councelor Johnson.

Thank you, Mayor. And I believe there are two motions on this. So I'll move the first one which is that I move to adopt resolution number 10 repealing resolution number 27 series of series of 2022 which instructs the city manager to refer all official development plans for multif family residential land uses to city council for review and approval.

Mayor prom second. The item has been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Councelor Ireland. Um, I will be voting no on the first item. The reality is the majority of our residents do not want to see more multif family development in our city. Ignoring this settlement and worse limiting the ability of their elected count city council to review these projects is simply not acceptable. As a representative elected by the people, I have both the right and the responsibility to review the multifamily official development plans that oversight site is not optional. Is essential to ensuring that growth reflects the will and best interest of the community. If the devel developers choose not to bring forward a concept review to city council, that is their decision. But they should also understand that when their project reaches the official development plan stage, it may or may not be approved. That's a choice they make and it comes with consequences. At the heart of the issue is the kind of community we want to build. I believe in promoting home ownership because it creates stability, builds generational wealth, and fosters pride in our neighborhoods. We should be prioritizing opportunities for residents to put down roots, not expanding an overabundance of multifamily rental housing that over time too often leads to declining conditions and added challenges for our city. We owe it to our residents to stand for thoughtful growth, strong neighborhoods, and a future that reflects their values, not to bypass their voices in the process. So, I'll be voting no on the first one. The second one, I'll vote yes.

Thank you, Councelor Johnson. Thank you, mayor, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this tonight. Um, I want to make one thing clear about this change. Um, in our Westminster municipal code, uh, the way it was decided in 2020 2022 allowed for multif family units to be treated dramatically different from the existing single family, residential, and other types of building in our city. This created red tape and increased costs for these type of developments for the residents of Westminster and all of us who face these costs. This change doesn't take any power away from city council and it doesn't take any power away from city staff. In fact, it creates a system where we can build things that are affordable and keep our process equitable. I'm very excited about this change. I appreciate the city staff's work to get this on the agenda quickly and I'm a happy yes. Thank you, Mayor Pertlo.

Um, I just was wondering if I could ask Mr. McConnell a couple of questions for clarification on um with respect to ODPS coming to council. What is the overall review process for an ODP? um what development review must it go through and um is there community involvement at any point?

Yes. Uh thank you for the question. John McConnell, planning managers with planning manager with the community services department. Uh all ODPS go through the same general process. It requires uh two, three and sometimes more techn series of technical reviews uh depending on the size of the ODP. Most ODPS can be approved uh administratively according to the city code. Some ODPS if they're large enough, especially residential ones, require planning commission approval. Uh after the first round of development review, the uh city code requires neighborhood notification. And so that comes in the form of a mailed notice and more often a neighborhood meeting requirement where the public has a chance to uh provide their input to the applicant.

Thank you. If there were um significant concerns from the neighborhood, for example, how might they what recourse might they have? Uh occasionally we do get significant concerns. We raise that uh we elevate that to the city manager's office. Uh the city code does allow the city manager to voluntarily elevate official development plans for up to the planning commission for its review and to the city council if there are significant concerns.

Okay. And just one last question. Um in terms of just developable land and multif family projects, what are we anticipating um you know in terms of new multif family in in the city?

Uh very good question. So, uh, in the city of Westminster, we are approximately 97 98% built out. And so, of the remaining land, u, I don't have the exact percentage of what allows multif family, but the uh, of the remaining land, you would see multif family uh, potentially in our downtown, and that's what the downtown plan calls for. You would see it in the station area around Westminster Station. Uh there are very few other places that are designated for multif family development. Uh Westminster's comprehensive plan uh attempts to concentrate multif family or higher density residential development around transit opportunities and those are in our specific plan districts as mentioned.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you councelor Brahas.

Uh thank you madam mayor. Sorry, Mr. McConnell if you would. Uh just uh I do have a statement but I do want to ask one follow-up question. Thank you councelor or mayor prom for asking some of those questions. Uh do you have an uh idea on just uh sharing some numbers on cost savings for uh the developers on this sort of uh time save like in terms of cost and potential. I know it's a hard thing to manage because there's also risk associated with time as well that increases costs and that's a lot more ethereal depending on uh the market and like other conditions. But is there just a general um could you speak on that at all? And if not, I guess that's fine since it's kind of like an out outside question.

Another great question. Uh I I can't put a number on that. Uh but I can tell you that every conversation that we have with a developer, it's apparent that time is money. And so the more time they spend on a project, the more money they spend on the project. It can be in uh soft costs such as from consultants and architects and engineers that they have designing and and redesigning plans to the uh uh mortgage they might have on the property. It could be a number of things, but I can say with confidence the more time in process it costs them more.

Absolutely. Thank you um for that. The Yeah, you could I mean I'm done with the questions. You could feel free to stay there, but uh yeah. Yeah. Thank you. I have I have a question.

Um sorry, I did I did want a good statement. Thank you. Thank you, counselor, and thank you, Mayor. Um yeah, just I I do want to reiterate uh what councelor Johnson said this uh and and highlight um what Mr. Mr. McConnell mentioned there's very few zones like the the council and the city has already uh in its history and wisdom created spots where uh this multif family housing uh is available and that has come from councils previous to this and this would only um reduce cost for the developers. A lot of the feedback that we get from residents particularly around um some of these ODP plans is these high costs the for end users. So, like, you know, residents buying a house that should not cost as that be as expensive as it is. And we hear from a variety of members of council uh about what we can do to decrease some of those costs for the builders. And I believe that this is absolutely something that not only solely impacted multif family housing. So just any resident who was interested in multif family housing uh res was outsized impact and had to pay uh in ways that people who might be interested in other houses did not because of this added cost to the developers. So I am again an emphatic yes for this and I appreciate staff's time in uh trying to figure out ways that the city and listening to council listening to residents and trying to find ways that the city can reduce cost uh not only for the developers but for the buyers of these homes as well. Thank you,

councelor Ireland. I have a follow-up question about land available. So, there's a bill, I believe, that passed the state and was signed into law allowing schools, um, churches that have been shut down to be multif family housing. Is that true? That is true. The, uh, state just passed a bill that, uh, resembles what you're describing. So, it's not just 3%. It's all the infill of any school, which we have several, can be multifamily without our approval.

Uh if the city complies with the state rule, which at this point we believe it is a infringement on our home rule authority, uh that bill just passed. We've had very little discussion about that internally though. But well, that's a concern for me. So I will not be approving it either one of them might after this conversation. Thank you. Thank you. Roll call, please. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Promela, yes. Councelor Graas, yes. Mayor Carmelia, yes. Councelor Isadi, yes. Councelor Hot, yes. And councelor Ireland, no.

The motion passes on a 61 vote. That brings us to motion uh councelor bill number 17 on concept review plans. Do I have a motion? Councelor Johnson. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move to cast pass counselor's bill number 17 on first reading to repeal section 11 56.5 of the Westminster Municipal Code, which establishes the concept plan review procedure for projects requiring city council approval. Mayor Proton Nelo. Second. Any further discussion? Roll call, please. Mayor Promla. Yes. Councelor Barahas. Yes. Mayor Carmelia. Yes. Councelor Isati. Yes.

Councelor Hop. Yes. Councelor Ireland. No. And councelor Johnson. Yes. The motion passes on a 61 vote. That brings us to councelor bill number 18. Do I have a motion? Councelor Johnson. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move to C pass councelor's bill number 18 on first reading amending chapter 20 34 collective bargaining for firefighters of the Westminster municipal code. Thank you. Councelor Brahas second. Any further discussion? Councelor Ireland.

I will be voting yes on this because it was a ballot measure and the people decided to unionize the fire department. It's not a cheap way to go. Let you know. Um, but that's what we have and I hope everyone's happy with it. Thanks,

Mayor Pretender Miller. Um, I just want to thank staff for working with the um the fire union to come to this con, you know, to this agreement. And I know it was difficult and um I did not um participate in um external conversations about it um because I wanted to rely on the relationship that we had built over the years between staff and um the union. So just wanted to um state my reasons why, but um I appreciate the work and I will be voting in support of it as well. Councelor Johnson.

Thank you, Mayor. And I I want to echo the mayor prom statements. There there was truly a tremendous amount of effort that was put in between representatives of the union and the employees of the city, including our city manager, our fire chief, um our city attorney's office. Uh and I I could not be more pleased with where we ended up. And you know, I I think this is a monumental occasion for the city and for our fire union. And I think that this I believe that this councelor's bill uh will strengthen not only our relationship with our firefighters and first responders, but overall will be strengthen our fiscal resiliency as a city by ensuring that the investment that we've made into our fire department continues and that we can continue to recruit and retain um valuable employees of our fire department. So, I'm really pleased with where we ended up and I know it was no small effort and so I'm glad that we're here today and appreciate all the work that was done and I'll be a resounding yes.

Councelor Brah House.

Uh, thank you, Madam Mayor. And, uh, we've spent a lot of time kind of talking about this and I'm just just want to reiterate how grateful I am to the city attorney's office, uh, to the fire all of the fire chiefs, uh, and to the city manager's office for really bringing this home. Uh I am so excited that you know listening to the will of the voters um that you know on stuff that we voted on you know a decade ago and the city is kind of continuing that uh conversation and I'm very grateful that we're able to sit up here today and do a resolution that we are all that all parties are in support of and we can't understate how uh important uh that conversation is and a really big thank you to the union for for continuing that conversation. and uh the leadership of Union and all of the firefighters who are came tonight in support of that. All of this energy uh in terms of collaboration is really a hard needle to thread and there's so many places where this is a difficult conversation and I am so glad that this is a conversation that we can have uh that is beneficial all the way down to the point of it which is getting our firefighters uh to be able to speak to the needs and concerns that they have. my time on seafire uh you know uh intermittently is is incredible and we do fundraising for fire department uh you know small fire department needs and the fact that we're you know constantly fundraising and looking for ways to to kind of support the fire department that the community is so supportive I speaks to the the broader desire to to make sure that the conversations at those tables are uh as comprehensive as possible and so I am going to be a yes on this, a resounding yes. And again, thank you to all parties involved to getting us here.

Council councelor Zati, did you have anything? Yes. Just wanted to also thank staff for coming to an agreement. I'm very pleased. Um I'm very proud of our fire union and just wanted to say that this is a new era. I'm not sure who said that earlier, but I do believe that this is a new era. This is a pro- labor majority on the city council. Every worker deserves to have a voice in their safety, wages, and working conditions, and that's what our fire department now has. Thank you, councelor Hop.

Um, yes. Um, I don't want to repeat everything that u my colleague said, but I just want to say that I agree with everything that they said, and when I vote yes tonight, it will be an enthusiastic yes.

Uh, finally, I will add that I am so proud of this ordinance. Um, this ordinance is hands-on, uh, changing directly the lives of people and staff that we affect that work for our city and serve us and serve our public. Um, and it helps ensure that the folks that serve us and keep us safe are happier, are healthier, are safer, and have the same bargaining rights as, and stand on equal footing with our neighboring cities. this uh to everyone's previous comments took a lot of collaboration and work and uh it was an extensive amount of homework and I know that in that you know a flight was diverted uh ex late nights were taken and a just enthusiastic thank you to everyone who participated in this I'm really grateful for your work for taking this home and bringing it forth to us and as uh earlier statements were said councelor ID just echoed that beginning comment you know this really is a new era for labor in Westminster and I'm incredibly proud of that. Roll call, please.

Councelor Barahas, yes. Mayor Carmelia, yes. Councelor Aadi, yes. Councelor Hot, yes. Councelor Ireland, yes. Councelor Johnson, yes. And Mayor Promla, yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote. That takes us to item 11E. Uh, resolution 11E, addressing immigration enforcement in Westminster City facilities. Do I have a motion? Councelor H. Hot. I move to adopt resolution 11 addressing immigration enforcement in Westminster city facilities. Thank you. Councelor Johnson. Second.

Any further discussion? Mayor Pertender Milla.

Yes. Um, thank you. I I know that there uh was a lot of concern expressed from community members over um this particular item and whether or not we were following um federal law and um I just want to make sure that you know folks actually read the fine print in in this. I think that this is a um you know when councelor Johnson I think councelor Johnson expressed a lot of um how we feel about um the need to make sure that everybody has due process in um you know in this country no matter how they arrived here. And I think we all have friends or family or folks that we know that um are very concerned over their own well-being right now. And um I also understand for folks that um you know want to see um people who are unlawfully here um you know go through a process to be able to stay here. And we also, you know, whether somebody is a criminal in um and is a citizen or a criminal and is not a citizen, we also want to see um our safety protected and due process happening. What we're what we have in this um uh in in this resolution is for um essentially us banning federal agents from entering non-public spaces within city facilities. they can still come into city facilities. What we are doing is designating what's public versus private and asking that um in order for federal agents to move into those

private spaces that they actually have a warrant. And so we're not I don't feel like we're asking um the uh our federal agents to do anything what above and beyond what they already should be doing. So um and and we are just delineating how and where that should happen within our public facilities. And so at the very end I'll just highlight that one of the last statements. Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as a limiting the rights of any person or entity under local, state, or federal law or b requiring or permitting the obstruction of federal immigration enforcement or violating the US Constitution Supremacy Clause, intergovernmental immunity or other applicable federal laws. So, um we are being thoughtful about um the legal position that we are um placing the city in with respect to delineating how and where federal agents should be interacting with um with people. So, just wanted to clarify that. Thank you.

Thank you. Councelor Zati, did you have anything? No, I do not.

Okay. Well, then I will add my own thoughts. Um, which is that this evening with our public comments, we talked a lot about safety. And safety means different things to different people. And to some people it might mean expanding the number of ICE agents, for example, on the ground or in our city. to other people. It might mean ensuring that those same agents are restricted from access because they're the ones being targeted. I think safety in this country depends on who you are and whether or not you're being targeted by your own government. I can't plan my own wedding because my fiance who is here legally is an immigrant and may be detained if we leave the country to visit his parents. Earlier there was a comment about the people coming from different areas of this world and the impacts that they're having on this community and nowhere did I see the benefit of those impacts. Someone mentioned El Salvador. My sisters are from El Salvador. Their parents were deported by a system that doesn't work for the people. This personally affects not just my life but the lives of thousands of people in our city. And when we say that we think it doesn't affect you or your neighbor, I think that we may need to expand our friend circle and maybe ask our family and our friends how this is affecting them and what it means to keep each other safe. As a patriot, I believe that it is my duty to protect the diversity of everyone within this country and within

this city and to stand up by those for those who are being targeted. And the very least that I can do is limit their access to what is within the scope of my control, which is in public facilities. I want to do more. I will try to do more. And for now, this is the very first step. This is step one. With that, I wholeheartedly uh will vote yes to this. Councelor Island, you heard that I'm voting no. I've had two family members that came here legally and got citizenship. It's not an easy route and it's not fair to them that they spent six years doing it, spent thousands of dollars doing it, and then people can just walk across the border and get all free stuff. And that is the problem with this. We don't even know who is in our country. They came with no vent vetting and we have a right to know who is in our country. And that's the only way we can know that is through legal immigration. And so I will not be supporting this.

Counselor Barahas.

Uh thank you Madame Mayor and thank you for letting me speak after uh your comments. Um I appreciate them. You know, we we talk a lot about public safety and um the fact of the matter is that with the uh very apparent turmoil that is uh plaguing not only the Department of Justice but the Department of Homeland Security as well, along with all of the uh very public, very violent uh actions of them. It's abundantly clear that your comment around what safety looks like depends on who you are. And I believe that's uh abundantly true. And we often speak about, you know, we hear comments about the right way or legally. And then we see people going to their immigration hearings in these public spaces and being detained. So, it's abundantly clear that it has nothing to do with legal process and everything to do with power. And if this is this is, as Mayor Prom said, well within our authority to outline what public and private looks like, uh, it's all well within existing legal parameters. and I will be voting yes on this.

Thank you. And I will remind our audience that there is no talking permitted. Roll call, please. Mayor, can I say something real quick? Yes, councelor Zati.

Sorry. So, I I just wanted to remind everyone that we we don't work for the federal government. councelor Ireland I know I don't really understand your comments um because I believe that city resources should be focused on delivering local services right so not diverting taxpayer funded staff and facilities to carry out federal responsibilities I think that should be a minimum requirement of understanding for city council because that's who we are we represent the city of Westminster and we don't work for the federal government. So, let's not divert our taxpayer funds towards federal responsibilities. Thank you.

Uh, councelor Ireland. Um, I have a rebuttal of that. Um, we get taxes from the federal government. We get money in our city from the federal governments. To say that the taxes aren't affecting our people is not true. There's taxes from the federal government. We can talk about our airport that we're always upset about. They get money from the federal government in taxes. So, this is part of our community. We're all part of the the federal government. Any further discussion before we move ahead? Thank you so much. Roll call, please.

Mayor Carmelia. Yes. Councelor Isadi, yes. Councelor Hot, yes. Councelor Ireland, no. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Prochemla, yes. And councelor Barahas, yes. The motion passes on a 6-1 vote. That brings us to item 11F, consideration of displaying a pride flag at city hall and designing an official city pride flag. Do I have a motion? Councelor Hot. Yes. I move to direct the city manager to display the inclusive pride flag at city hall. Mayor Promilla second. Any further discussion? Yes.

Uh councelor Ireland. So if we're going to approve this, I want to vote up or down about a Christian flag also. That's the majority of our city is Christian. Councelor Isati. I just wanted to thank counselor hot for their leadership on this. It's been inspirational to watch you uh lead this and I'll be happy to support this. Any further discussion? Oh, um councelor hot.

Yes, thank you. Um this has been uh a discussion for uh quite a while and so um I'm very excited to see it on the agenda. Um what folks were um unfortunately not able to see tonight was the um amount of emails that we received uh over the last week and especially this weekend um in support of um flying the the pride flag. Um again um we would be joining many cities and especially um I I do appreciate the uh person who came and and talked about the statistics of um LGBTQ um kids and how they are bullied and how they are um more likely to commit suicide because of the bullying and um and uh the the suicide that actually comes from um things like con conversion therapy. P that um the ban in Colorado is no longer uh protected and we are seeing um the LGBTQ community targeted more and more um every year. And this is a a symbol that um we um again um everyone is uh included including our LGBT um neighbors. And I do think that it's good for our LGBT kids to see um that we care about them at the city level. Um we don't want to see uh what we've been seeing and we don't want them to to continually be uh taking their lives um because of the treatment that they're they're receiving. Um we would be joining many many cities um even school districts across the country and um and uh anything can go on the agenda. Uh

if councelor Ihandland would like to put the the Christian flag on the agenda um she is more than welcome to do that. Um we can't vote on that tonight because we have uh laws around um um how long something has to be on an agenda. So, um the public can um speak about it. But, um we we did receive uh quite a a lot of um um emails um and some phone calls and even um the uh working families party uh weighed in um about this issue as well. And so, um I'm very excited to uh finally have it in the agenda. I am wearing the pin from Salt Lake City who um they fly their flag uh 247 outside of city hall. And uh when uh Utah tried to target cities that had pride flags, they said that only government official flags were allowed to be flown. So they made a government official uh flag so that way they could um uh abide by the law while also having their flag. And so I am wearing that um tonight um in solidarity and and hope that we can do the same. Thank you very much.

Thank you Christ. Uh councelor Ireland. I would like to make a motion to put a Christian flag on the agenda. And I think we got an up and down vote from the time that councelor hot mentioned it in a city council meeting to the time now that we're voting for it. We already have a motion. I'm sorry. Hold on just a moment. So, we have a motion in place right now. We will finish discussion and we will take a vote and then we can uh put it poll up. I don't know if we can get that done this evening, but we'll make sure we get a poll up for your item. Councelor, thank you.

Uh, okay. Seeing no other comments, I will make my own, which is that um I heard some comments concerning uh this decision framing a special interest group. And just know that uh people who are born as who they are, be it, you know, a race, an ethnicity or um a gender uh or etc. Whatever it is that you're born as, that is not a special interest group. That is who you are. That is an identity. Um this decision is not about favoring one uh identity over any other. Um but it is about standing with people who are currently experiencing discrimination. And so it is more important than ever that to ensure that we truly feel inclusive because I heard fortunately I did hear a lot of support for being inclusive this evening and for ensuring that everyone is fully represented. And to do that, we have to ensure that those who are being discriminated feel safe. And displaying a symbol, a flag is a symbol, helps ensure that they understand that their safety is a priority. And ensuring that they are visible and ensures that they have a sense of belonging in our community, which is the most important thing we can offer. Um, symbolic actions like these matter the most in times when people are feeling vulnerable and they're feeling vulnerable because they're being specifically targeted. This is when it's most important that leadership stands up and takes a stay a say and ensures that that visible um decision is clear for all to see. And that's why this symbol is so important um to share. With that said, I just hope that we can somehow expand our hearts to instead of

asking what about me, I heard some, you know, I this is what I care about. There's what about meism and then there's what we can do in service of others, what about them? And so my job is to look after you. And so my question is what about you? What more can I do for you to make sure that you are safe, you are seen, you are heard? And when we have populations of vulnerable communities that we should be looking out for, the question we should be thinking is what about them? And so that's why in my opinion we don't be go ahead and uh fly every flag under the sun, right? Because those folks are taken care of. So what do we do about the folks who are not being taken care of? Thank you. Uh councelor Ireland. Well, the three flags back here are supposed to represent all of us. So, I think we're all being taken care of. But the Christian flag, they're the most persecuted group in the world right now. And you know that in Canada, they have banned the Bible. Like, you you quote the Bible, you put get put in prison. This is where we're at as a world. So, I don't take this lightly as a Christian. They're the most persecuted. You guys are laughing. You're laughing at me because I'm a Christian and I have a strong belief in God and that he's in control of whatever our weather, whatever. And you guys have a problem with that. So, I think I'm being persecuted up here. And I feel persecuted on this city council for my beliefs. And I'll tell you what, my church helps this community over and over again. They help homeless people over and over

again. They give people housing. They're on the edges. So if you make fun of Christians, they do a lot for this community. And we're not asking for anything except for equal representation under the First Amendment. That's all I have to say. Thank you, councelor Brahas.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, there is been a lot of talk about religion and questions uh during public comment around it. I encourage anyone who is uh curious about my religious beliefs. I uh you know have a very strong and deep uh uh reflective history around uh my own religious faith and encourage anyone who's curious to please reach out to me and you can ask me uh about my own uh beliefs if that is important uh to any resident and uh but I will not uh kind of mention my own personal beliefs uh here on this dis as I am doing my best to um listen and attend to the community at large. I did want to just mention a brief note that um while the pride flag is uh you know important to specifically to a group of people who it kind of represents and allows um visual representation of their identity. There are countless people who I am in community with who are heterosexual who fly the pride flag as well. And it is disappointing to have the the discourse around uh something that is supposed to be uh attentive to acceptance of a group of people who have historically not been accepted. um construed to be uh uh in a way that's not inclusive. And so I just want to try to like at least express my perspective on what the flag means uh not only for myself and for the my community friends who are in the queer community, but also for those who aren't, but who are strong allies and who are more than happy to fly the flag

even though they aren't explicitly called out within um the LGBTQ identity. And just to echo the mayor's comments on on some reflective practice around how does this impact uh someone who's not me and how can we show up for for them as well particularly in light of you know the recent laws that have passed in Kansas and the repeal of the prohibition on conversion therapy which uh was deeply disappointing uh for me and you know now more than ever it's it's really easy to say yes. Uh, you know, I I imagine that maybe someone on their way to a child on their way to conversion therapy who is considering ending their own life seeing the flag and uh knowing that there are at least a few people out there if not a majority who are accepting of them specifically in this community in this state. Thank you. Mayor Bertmelo,

I just want to say that um this flag for many is um you know to your to Council Brahouse um this point um will be a light for people and we're what we're doing is shedding some light for folks and um I don't think and I don't want it to be construed as taking away the light from others and for not respecting or valuing um any other religion because that's not the point and that's not the intent um behind my vote and I just want to share a light for my family, for my friends, and for people I don't even know that we'll need this. So, thanks.

Thank you. Any further discussion? Councelor Zotti, are we set? Okay. All right. Roll call, please. Councelor Isadi. Yes. Councelor Hop. Yes. Councelor Ireland. No. Councelor Johnson? Yes. Mayor Promla? Yes. Councelor Barahas? Yes. Mayor Carmelia? Yes. The motion passes on a 61 vote. We will now move on to the second. Yes, if I can find it. Oh, can I have a motion for the second part of this item?

Mayor Promilla, I move to direct the city manager to have staff design an official city of Westminster inclusive pride flag that will replace the inclusive pride flag upon adoption. Second. Thank you. Item has been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Seeing none, roll call, please. Councelor Hot, yes. Councelor Ireland, no. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Promela, yes. Councelor Brahos, yes. Mayor Carmelia, yes. C. And councelor Isadi, yes. The motion passes on a 61 vote.

Thank you. We will now move on to old business and councelor bill number 13. Do I have a motion on this item? Councelor Councelor Johnson. Thank you, mayor. In light of the conversation that we had with the city council or the city manager, I move to postpone and definitely councelor's bill number 13, which would have amended chapter 15 of title 5 of the Westminster municipal code to update the regulation of massage parlors. Mayor Pertam Demela second. Uh, any further discussion? City attorney, please.

Thank you, mayor. If it's helpful, it would be staff's recommendation to postpone this indefinitely because of pending legislation that will touch on massage therapy. And it is staff's uh recommendation that this ordinance be rewritten in a manner that is consistent with that legislation which we expect to be uh signed into law. So that would be the reason for postponing this indefinitely. And Mr. Munch is here as the drafter. If council has additional questions, uh he can get into more specifics. Thank you.

Thank you. Do we have any further questions from council? Okay, seeing none, roll call, please. Councelor Ireland. Yes, I guess. Yeah. Councelor Johnson, yes. Mayor Promla, yes. Councelor Barahas, yes. Mayor Carmelia, yes. Councelor Isadi, yes. And councelor Hot,

yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote. I will note before closing um this is the first meeting that I've had where the audience was openly disrespectful in a number manner of ways and I hope that in the future we can find ways to ensure that while we are trying our best to bring inclusivity and passion and compassion to our community that the community can do the same for us and it won't be tolerated. It is now 10:37 and that concludes the business of the city council meeting. We will now convene as the Westminster Economic Development Authority. The roll call will roll over from the regular meeting. Do I have a motion to approve the minutes? Mayor uh chair person Nurella.

I move to approve the minutes of the March 23rd, 2026 WEDA meeting as presented. Uh board member Barahas. Second. All those in favor? I I I Any opposed? Okay. Uh there are no WEDA public hearings this evening. And so that brings me to new business. Do I have a motion on the next item? Board member Johnson.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move to adopt resolution number 249, the first amendment to the amended and restated lease between the Westminster Economic Development Authority and GMRI Inc. doing business as Olive Garden in downtown Westminster. Thank you. Uh board member Nurmela second.

Thank you. Any further discussion? Okay. Uh oh, Mayor uh board member Nurmla. Um, I just want to say I know Olive Garden is very much loved in uh, Westminster, particularly at this site, and so sad to see it leave from this location, but I hope that they enjoy just as um, positive of a um, what's the word? Business opportunity in their next location. But we'll miss them uh, where they stand. uh council uh board member Brahas.

Uh thank you, chair. Um yeah, I just echoing uh Mayor Prom's point. I would have loved to see this uh Olive Garden stay at that location, but uh in kind of the uh in attending to the respect and joy that uh you know, our residents have had with that location. We're respecting their wishes to want to move to a different location. I'm excited of which is still in Westminster. Uh so we and uh has kind of located close enough that ideally uh you know a lot of uh you know established uh uh sorry patrons. Yeah, established patrons could continue um patronizing this um establishment but also uh maybe bring in uh some new people. Anyway, I'm just excited that we can uh amend the agreement uh you know in light of how great of a partner they have been and respecting their wishes. So just know it was Olive Garden who brought this forward to us and we are saying uh yes we support them still. This isn't kind of us trying to shoe them into any place just so that there's clarity around.

Thank you board member Brahas. You uh brought to light some comments that I was going to say myself. So thank you uh both for those. And I I'll just add that that location that Olive Garden is one of the very first places that I've come in Colorado to meet people. And uh I'm sure that I will continue um being a patron at their new location. Um but it's been a halfway point for myself and others in other parts of the city for a very very long time. So I'm grateful that they're staying within the city. So that's the good news. Uh roll call please. Board member Barahas. Yes. Chairperson Carmelia. Yes. Board member Isadi. Yes. Board member Hop. Yes. Board member Ireland. Yes. Board member Johnson,

yes. And Vice Chair Normela, yes. The motion passes on a 70 vote. Thank you. The time is now 10:41. And that concludes the WEDA meeting. Thank you for joining us tonight. Um, we will now I'm getting ahead of myself. We will now be continuing the presentation uh in our post meeting chambers um regarding the council rules and regulations that we began in our premeating. Thank you all for joining us.

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Heat. Heat. Are we all ready? Thank you. We got chair issues.

Sorry, I think we're ready. Oh, good job. Thank you. Chair made and screws done. You guys are so helpful. It is 10:59. We will now resume the meeting in our uh policy discussion with the city attorney. Thank you.

Thank you, mayor. And in the interest of expediting the the conversation, I'm certainly amenable to council. Um if there are specific changes that are needed, we can absolutely focus on those. Um some of the council rules and regulations, I would characterize the updates as housekeeping. Um so potentially non-controversial as you uh see but if there are uh specific questions within the rules and regulations or um any additions or deletions please um I'm open to those. So just want to capture council's intent. So we going around the table? Well

uh yes we could we can definitely go around the table and bring up anything uh that is an item of your own. And in the meantime, the rest of us can read through and make sure there's nothing else you want to bring up. Council Ireland, did you have something? Um, number 16 on House rules. What does that mean? So, the the code

operate with many voices. All members must recognize the governing body acts with one voice. the the code of conduct and protocols um set forth a number of house rules which are intended to provide some guidance to the relationship um within city council and I heard several suggestions from council and my blue line edits here are attempts to incorporate the the suggestions that council made and that specific one line item 16 was identified from the CERSA handbook of best practices in governance for elected officials. And I I offered it because it seemed to address some what the what the edits were were going after. Um there were suggestions on how to how to improve um the the working relationship within council and I thought well maybe a CERSA best practice statement would help go uh provide a little bit of improvement in that area. So that's that's where it came from. Um, and that's basically from the Sam Light presentation that city council gets each January and from Cersei's handbook that we distribute to council at that time.

Well, I don't agree with being one voice. I think we all have voices at the table. We're we have people the people I rep I represent the majority of the people of the city and I don't feel like they're being heard. So, I'm not going to be one voice.

Correct me if I'm wrong. in my understanding of this attorney. Um this we are all as you just said councelor Ireland we're all elected officials we all have our own reasons that we were elected and we represent you know populations of the community and we will be able to voice those um you know when we are about as long as we say that we are representing ourselves in light of representing the city if a decision has been made or a vote has been made we are to represent the body of this council and that's what former mayor McN was used to remind us almost. Well, I'm one that's came up was condemning ICE and I was against it and I still was put on the the letter everything

and I'm a voice and I'm I don't appreciate these big controversial things that we bring up that are national things that become actually very dangerous for all of us no matter which side of the aisle you're on. I don't appreciate they keep getting brought up and we're not doing the business of this people that elected us. instead were in these fringes and this is why I'm not going to be one voice because I was put on there because you all agreed but I did not agree and I should not have been on there. So I hope this is not going forward I get to be agreement with all of you because you're six to one because that's not how I am going to be.

Thank you for that. Uh, Mayor Bam.

Um, I'm just thinking of when this comes into play and then how we can differentiate. So, um, I'm thinking like when we go to a majority and we say, um, you know, we're not we're against this particular legislation and then whoever like if you go to ADCOG and say, well, the city's against, you know, you would speak for the city and say the city's against this. You could also say like if you disagree like as an individual I do not agree like is there in terms of being able to when we can also any one of us go and speak to something like a legislation you know legislative item for the state or you know whatever the case may be and say I'm speaking personally um not on behalf of the council and this is what I think like are aren't we able to do both to distinguish ourselves and

well in that situation I was not distinguished that is true I am not happy with it and I don't want it to happen again I agree and I just want to honor and hear you before we move on and I think that that's uh you deserve that and I think that that was I mean to call it a mistake is a minor misunderstanding it was an enormous mistake and just know that I did everything I can behind the scenes I've held several meetings things to address it and I am very sorry that that happened to you and that it was misrepresented. I'm just saying all these emotional topics there people are emotional on both sides in this country. It's not safe for us to keep bringing them up and not doing the things we should be voting on and I'm tired of it.

Thank you.

We saw the turnout tonight. There's a lot of people that are upset and their voices were not heard only by one person. Uh and then I just wanted to finish my thought to your point Mayor Prom uh when addressing a body it is important especially if it's at a community update or a town hall etc that we say this is the stance of the council right that's what we say um if I want to differentiate myself I have used and we can use the majority voted to make this decision uh I wish you know that we had gone a different route but this is what was done and then you move on right and that you are able to distinguish push yourselves in those ways. There's no law prohibiting that. It's just saying that we have to represent the facts of the matter which is that council went in a direction and I've had to do that many times myself. So, uh did you have something to add?

No, no, it's it's for your consideration. I I thought um it might be worth discussing. That's all. Council Brahouse.

Uh thank you, Madame Mayor. Uh, and I appreciate this kind of being outlined for this. The the only spot that I kind of had information or insight on this before was, you know, on our CML uh, policy, legislative policy calls, you know, we're reminded around the protocol that, you know, even if I disagree with something, you know, I'm obligated to vote for what the council has voted for uh, within the legislative agenda and if we take an official stance on a certain topic. Um, and so, you know, and and I know that it's possible that if I feel conflicted in personally voting for it, I I can offer that seat to someone else for that vote or for the rest of the the the kind of term of that that space. And so, um, you know, and like Mayor Prom said, like in Dr. Cog or at Cog or the CML, like we're we're given free reign to speak. And so, as long as we're not betraying the majority vote of the council, we can say whatever we need to say. And I think that that's appropriate. Um to uh to councelor Ireland's point and it's not reflected in here, but I I'd like to at least since we're on the topic me mention it. Um you know having some sort of final draft before something is is published uh is of top of mind for me. Uh so that way if there is like hey my name is on here or if we can like have the conversation if we're seeing a final draft of any sort of statement I think that that would be appropriate uh and an appropriate time to have that conversation. I certainly think, you know, it's appropriate, you know, either just have, you know, whether it's on a memo or whether it's, you know, we can have the conversation of what's the best um sorry um what's the best uh you know process for it and and having kind of like a final draft revision or final draft like look at uh whether it's in study session, whether it's on the DIS, whatever it is um you know can offer us the chance to take it back to the DAS if we need to for it to be on official agend agenda or or we can make uh you know considerations on it. And so I think that would attend a little bit to that

as well. and and just saying, you know, like tonight there were a variety of different things on the agenda and and I just want to echo like, you know, I appreciate the diversity of of topics and we attended to to everything that was on the agenda tonight and we stayed late to do it and um we're having these really important conversations because as a city we are part of this nation and you know uh I you know am in full support of diving into to city policies and city topics and we do that time and time again and so um I'm excited to continue to do that's like while we talk about Westminster City Council code of conduct you know it's a city policy city uh topic so anyway uh you know if there's a chance to kind of continue adding to this it doesn't need to be like in this moment but you know if if the attorney's office would like to consider some some way to have a finalized version of you know proof reading for for statements and stuff like that I think that would be appropriate to put in the codes conduct.

I'm going to move us ahead to Thank you. Is there a way to we ensure that we all get a draft? Can we add that? I don't know if that would be a rule for council necessarily. It sounds like more of a staff item. Well, I'm just looking through the protocols and protocol nine is on speaking for the city, which touches on some of maybe the issues identified here. Um,

can we when we're addressing an item, can you also say the page number? Sorry. Um, I'm looking at the code of conduct uh, protocol 9, which is the second to last page. Thank you. That code of conduct and protocols hand. So, yeah, protocol 9 um, addresses who speaks on behalf of the city. Um, and to councelor Ireland's point, uh, written letters to organizations and members of the public will accurately indicate which members of city council support the message contained in the letter. Okay. So if there are

I think that that should um be followed where there is you know these if it's a letter to a organization or members of the public that is under consideration by city council. I think that could help. Yeah. like and to you know uh Mayor Portmela's point protocol 9 paragraph 4 when speaking publicly in an individual capacity be clear that you're doing so on your own behalf and not as a representative of either the city or a majority of council notify council of your intention to speak publicly to avoid surprises and consider the lobbying protocols for additional guidance.

So I appreciate that. I do think that protocol the item three under protocol 9 should be expanded to councelor Baraha's point about a final review even if we are the people included that are accurate just yeah so yeah and we can add so um something to the effect of where statements are proposed um by council A draft shall be circulated to all members. Thank you.

And I'll say I think this includes items like we were recently in DC in March. You know, we wrote some letters to senators, etc. I think all of those could go to a quick review first. And um would it be helpful to say prior to the statement becoming final? Yes. Go. Okay. Other thoughts? Councelor Johnson.

Thank you, Mayor. I just had there's uh two lines on the same topic related to council comments and there was a suggestion that uh council have each counselor have a specific time limit on the comments. I'm supportive of that as long as that rule can be waved. So, the idea is that if a majority of council would like to permit a counselor to speak longer, they can, but that we can set a definitive time limit. Um, you know, it's it's um I'm looking at protocol four. Oh, sorry. For 45.

Yeah, it's crossed out six. It's 45. And then um that's reinstated in the rules as agenda procedures 2.2b. It's the same question. Um you know I'm I don't have a specific time limit in mind, but I just want to make sure that we're not accidentally creating the Westminster or allowing the Westminster filibuster. Um and so I I think I I love to hear everyone's voice. You know, I would see myself always voting to give people more time. Not that we've ever run into a time limit, but at the same time, I do want to make sure that a senior counselor can't hold an agenda, especially with the changes about time limits, hostage by speaking for an unlimited amount of time.

And what is your suggested time? Um, I'm open to counselors who like to speak more than myself. Um, but you know, I'm a 10 minute, 15 minute, 20 minute. It doesn't you know I was thinking five council braas for point of clarity is this on each uh agenda item like five minutes or it's not a total com so it's just for counselor comments but it's not like but for counselor comments like on good question like you know like oh any you know like we have a second there's a motion and it's like any comments is this is it a cumulative or is it a reset five every time? I just want to be clear. Um I mean I'm fine with

let's let the city attorney clarify. I I read it as the counselor comments portion of the agenda and I'll look to clerk Fetch. I I believe that's what it's intended to that is what it's intended to do. This is part of um the agenda section just counselor comments in that case if it's councilor comments. Are we comfortable with 10 minute? Yeah. Excellent. 10 minute I and I do want to make clear 10 minutes with the ability to extend it if for the majority allows the majority vote. Yeah. I just don't want to just limit it to 10 minutes. I think someone could make a great speech that we may love to hear. Okay. Any other? That's all I had. Thank you, Mayor.

Yes. Can you hear me? Yes. Counselor,

I just wanted to uh to remind everyone um the new counselors and existing that these are internal norms, you know, it's like etiquette guidelines. They're not binding. They're not legally binding laws. They're not enforcable rules. Um it doesn't limit your independent authority or judgment. Right. So I I share Councelor Ireland's concerns, but um in general, I think we're actually taking way too much time on this. It's not that important. Honestly, it's important in terms of, you know, moving things forward and being productive, but um we're overengineering the house rules, for example. I think there's a lot of edits in the house rules that overengineer something that's optional. So, I don't want us to spend too much more time on this is my only thought.

Thank you, councelor. So, if I could um council Zadi agree the council code of conduct and protocols is certainly an internal norms document for city council. Um I would however say that the council rules and regulations are enforcable and are intended to guide the how the meetings are held. And so it's the council rules and regulations that impose for example rules of decorum. So if there is a disruption in the U meeting, it provides a mechanism through which the chair can enforce the rules of decorum um and bring the meeting to order. So they're definitely um they're enforceable to that extent and they also set rules like the amount of time for public comment which we apply to all public uh speakers when they're coming for

Yes. Sorry. So what I was referring to is the code of conduct and protocols. I apologize. Uh I might have missed it. Is there I believe that we asked for maybe already approved uh moving council reports to the dis only to prevent that premeating session and then we also just moved the time. So I just want to get some clarity on what our um beginning of our meetings look like. Well, I have notes that 6:30 was the agreed upon time for uh starting regular council meetings. And if it's council's intent that there not be pre meetings, I think that's how it can be. Mr. Andrews, do you have a preference?

The way that I understood that would be we start the night together at the on city council nights at the dis at 6:30, right? Yeah. And that's when and your city council comments you don't you don't do twice. don't do in here and premeating and then up you and then divide some to have up there and and repeat some. It all happens at the das and that all starts at 6:30. So pretty much the flow as it is now um but without the premeating goes straight into the public meeting at 6. That's the way I heard you. Yep. You only have 10 minutes to your your uh whatever you did for the week and your comments. Right. Correct. Yeah. So you'll have to be succinct.

Right. The only thing I have a problem with still is the public comment because I start teaching before I see them and then I'm here and I never see the public comment. I'll be honest. Oh, uh, emails, you know. No. Or voicemails. Boys. Yeah, that's what I'm sorry. Um, and I know you guys shot it down to have them played, but I don't say I don't see them because when I get here, I'm teaching the whole time, then I leave and have never have a chance to look at them. And now we're going to start at 6:30. So, she showed me where they were finally. I even know where to find them, honestly. So,

any thoughts on having the voicemails read out loud? I I think another option could be printing the packet of emails and having a hard copy for every member of council because I I I understand council hasn't had a chance to see the email um and knowing that those emails are um part of the record and they are in the packet once they are received. I think having a paper copy might be helpful so that you see the content be in by noon. Yes. and the voicemails do as well, but then we don't get them transcribed till like three or after. So, that's different than an email. I see those up to noon.

Um, but I I don't believe that all the emails go directly to council. Okay. Some of them come just to a public comment box. Okay. So, they are sort of in the same category. I I like the box. Sorry. Thank you. I like the idea of the printed uh kind of on our with our agenda as Yeah, that's what I would like. I like that overall agree. Thank you, John. Thank you, city attorney. Any other thoughts? I'm good with the changes. Can I request to not receive the printed to save some paper? I don't need the printed.

Okay. Um All right. I think that's everything. Unless I'm missing something. I'm trying to make sure we don't need any changes around my hesitation comes around. Do we need any changes on the post meeting on the executive sessions, but it sounds like we just extend those just as we would any meeting that has to go on.

I think so. Yeah. Um and there was one question I had the elimination of the premeating on a regular council night. There was a suggestion that council questions could be submitted by a certain time um in advance of the meeting. That way staff would be ready uh and notified to be in attendance for the meeting. Um does is there a preference as to what time those questions might be submitted?

I think noon Monday would be the the latest. I mean ideally like the Friday would be is great but noon noon Monday is real realistic and that would give us time. I think with premeating there's there is a bit of float because if you ask a question about a contract in premeating and we don't have I don't have the staff here or can't answer it. I still have 20 minutes to get somebody in that room to answer the question at the public dis but that won't happen if we're going into that question right at the dis and so to provide you with the answers that you need to make your decisions if you can get your questions to us no later than noon on that Monday of the meeting we can get the answers for you and then it won't slow down the business of the city in that in this in the new the new format.

We're all in agreement with that. Yes. Okay. And if it's all right, I'll I'll put that into House rules. Thank you. Okay. As a place for that to live. Okay. Okay. Any other questions you have for us? I'll give you a second to look through it all. I think those were my questions. And yep, we can have the updated um document on an agenda. Oh,

correct. So that a question on protocol two on that first page of the council code of conduct and protocols. Um there's a question there um protocol 2 paragraph 3. If research requests will cumulatively take more than approx approximately 3 hours of time in a week the request will be brought up at the next public meeting. That was a question because there was a suggestion should these be cumulative because right now it's a three-hour uh request and it's not necessarily threeh hour. It's not defined as three hours in a day, three hours in a week,

three hours in a month. So that was a a question. Would it be helpful to have some kind of a cumulative threeh hour identified as within a certain time period? I'm comfortable with that week. you know. Well, I gotta be honest. I made an assumption that it was in a week, so there's no change to me, but may prot as long as staff is that reasonable for staff. It is. And that that kind of matches I think what the I think the assumed practice has been. It's three hours in the week. Um but we could see an anomaly for whatever reason where uh a member one member of council could ask a question a day that takes two and a half hours each question. Yeah.

Um and then by the end of 5 days that's been 12 and a half hours which is uh a lot of a work week and you know without you all weighing in on and it could be related questions. It could all be uh related to you know the city fleet. One could be about tires. One could be about engines. And by the time we got the end of the week, we've we've done 12 and a half hours on a request and that you didn't see that request come through. So, this would be a good match because we meet every week. So, each week could be refreshed. Um that that could be refreshed, but this is up to council. But I think that that was the understanding the kind of the implicit understanding around the current wording.

Yes. I'm just gonna bet even with this, you know, that we're gonna end up asking more questions that cumulatively exceed three hours a week. So, I know that that's I guess just um communication's important. So, if there's a week where we're we're extra special and you know, you're like, I need a little more time or you know, just that would be helpful just because I know that's going to happen at some point. Yeah. and we have a, you know, high performing team that strives to get all of your answers to you and we don't really push back on those. where you see it is um the uh what we call city council and community responses uh emails

um

you know so that so the touch on an email inquiry from a community member that either comes in directly to us or to uh or to one of you that you then forward to to Cody and I you know those are probably pulling two to five or six hours depending on the the to how how in depth the questions are on those um and That's what where I get behind on them because there's a they stack sometimes come in waves. Um but those are this one is if a council member says I would like to have an analysis of this topic done for you know for next Monday and and then I would say in checking with staff that looks like a six-hour request. So council will need to tell us to do that one. If it's two hours we just do it right and get it done. Okay.

Okay. And that's all I need. We'll we'll propose an update for I have a question. Yes. Uh can we move this one to the rules instead of in this because this one is actually enforcable, right? Like because staff will enforce it. Let's see.

Because I feel like some some of these like this document, the code of conduct document is mixing and matching the enforceable things with the non-inforceable things. You know, for example, with House Rule 14 to refrain from use of electronic devices. I'm going to use my phone because I need to make sure my family's safe and you know, we do a lot of things. So, so I'm not going to so I'm going to violate that frequently because I need to make sure that things are flowing and that they're safe. So, but that one is less enforceable than this one, which is more staff will enforce it. So, it feels like the rules document should be stuff that we definitely can't break.

I thank you, Councelor. I think um the rules document does have a miscellaneous section part seven on page seven where we could place this since it's not a specific agenda procedure, right? This is a more of a miscellaneous rule. So yeah, I think it could certainly live there. Is everyone else comfortable with that? Good. Thank you. Okay. I just like to know if three hours is long enough to answer a question. Well, in a week, I think that's most questions that we ask. Is it long enough?

I'll pause then and ask uh the city manager if that answers the majority of our questions. Is that per person or is that all of this? That's per It's per council member, right? So, be 21 hours if y if it's a hot topic. Is three hours long enough then? to add

because you know it gets so sometimes it gets so long that honestly people are frustrated in our community especially like the tonight the thing on the road you know with the speed bump and that thing has come to us numerous times and it's a safety issue but we still haven't addressed it so how long does it take to get answers and so counselor I'll I'll continue on this thought real quick is this doesn't change our current policy. It's just formalizing our current policy, which is that

if it takes longer than 3 hours, if it takes that much of staff time, then they just want a majority vote from council that they are to continue pursuing it. And then that's just us approving their hours. It's us. It's giving us a way to monitor how much we're costing staff in terms of time and energy and labor expenses. So if we believe if they believe it'll take more than 3 hours, they just bring it to us. We do a poll. We say yes, please continue pursuing this and then that gives them the ability. Um if it's under three hours, it's essentially us asking for free time of theirs, you know, saying, "Okay, we're going to get this answered because it's only costing an hour or two. We have that ability to ask questions and they do research on our behalf essentially for free." And so it's just putting some sort of limit on that.

Okay. Thanks for the clarification.

And may I clarify, Council Harland, on the traffic matter. Um, you're you're right to feel a sluggishness on the response of staff to alter those. Those were th those we're hearing from one or two members of the neighborhood, but the measures were installed at the request of the neighborhood as trafficcoming and they were designed in consultation with the neighborhood. Um, and so staff really wanted to let them run their course as as installed in collaboration with that local community because the other folks haven't shown up that that asked for those and and so there was a timeline to that. I when I when I was briefed by staff, they advised that they were it was a that they were going to be out there for a fairly lengthy amount of time. And I will based on tonight, the gentleman actually was asking for those to be expanded into the intersection to block more traffic from uh illegally turning left into McDonald's. I believe they'll take a second look at those and if they need to what I'm going to tell them is they need to adjust those so that they are a little bit more reasonable then that would be a field adjustment and it wouldn't maybe break the premise of the initial project which was to respond to um traffic problems that that that street was having which I understand that this seems to have addressed and maybe just went a little too restrictive on the turning movement. So, we'll get that one fixed. But I just wanted to explain why you are feeling a little bit of of sluggishness on this one because the the community wanted them and now

and now we're trying and so with apologies that we could have done a better job because setting that out. I feel like the ones that are shouting out are it's like, you know, they're it's to the point of we're going to get killed if we don't right move them, you know.

Thank you. So, we never Thank you. I I'm glad we followed up on that item since it was from earlier. Um I just want to get us back on track. Is there anything else needed from your side? Any other thoughts or suggestions? Councelor Zotti or anyone else on council. Okay. Excellent. Well then in that case the time is 11:32 and we are now adjourned.