foreign foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you foreign December 5th could we Katie have roll call please mayor protein Bergen here councilmember Combs president council member Gardner here councilmember drinsky here councilmember Lawson here councilmember Marcano president councilmember Medina councilmember Maria president council member sunberg here and council members of anik President there's a quorum thank you and if we could please um just for take a moment of silence to recognize those that were harmed in the Club Q shooting thank you thank you and now if you would please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all executive session update we had one item on Executive session which related to a real estate transaction next on the oh we have the mayor approval of the minutes mayor we don't have minutes to approve for this meeting sorry well no minutes for this being oh no okay there are no proclamations um swearing it swearing in there we have the swearing-in ceremony of the interim police chief art Acevedo and for those of you I know there's quite a few of who are here for the ceremony if you want if you want to come forward and take pictures or video you're more than welcome to Chief if you want to step around closer to the dice we'll do it up closest to the diet welcome it's my great honor to administer the oath to you so if you please raise your right hand it is a longer oath so hang with me okay please repeat after me I are Acevedo I haven't been duly appointed as interim police chief that's interim police chief do Psalm we swear or affirm you solemnly swear that I will support and bear and I will support and bear true faith and Allegiance to the Constitution and laws of the United States of America the Constitution and laws Constitution and laws of the state of Colorado the state of Colorado and the charter and ordinances immature and ordinances of the city of Aurora City that I will defend and protect I will defend and protect the lives safety and property the lives safety and property of the people of Aurora without prejudice or favoritism without prejudice or favoritism always placing always placing the safety of others safety of others before my own before my own that I will at all times conduct myself in an honorable Manner and that I will perform the duties and responsibilities the duties and responsibilities of the office of chief of police the office of the chief of police for the city of Aurora for this city of Aurora to the best of my judgment inability so help me God congratulations Chief welcome thank you reappointment of current associate judge and current relief judges an appointment of new relief judges chance to take robots in there so I think I'll probably just sit right here you're doing fine thank you appreciate it mayor um for 10 members of council good evening I sent a notified Council back some time ago in September I believe that we have quite a few relief judges in one associate judge who are asking for reappointment to our bench the current associate judge Billy stiggers is asking for reappointment as an associate judge our current relief judges relief Judge James and James Anderson a relief judge Jonathan Lucero relief judge Tricia McCarthy relief judge Mark Solomon relief Judge Karen steinhauser and relief Judge Rebecca watata are asking for reappointment as relief judges as well I've also asked that Council consider appointing two new relief judges judge Brian Whitney and Gina Edwards Hickman and I believe Miss Edwards Hickman is here in the audience tonight and I'm honored to ask on their behalf for the reappointment of those judges I'm also honored to nominate the two new judges to our court and I'll be happy to answer any questions that you may have thank you for your consideration uh questions so chief judge may not remember Tim oh just uh just want to clarify we we're only appointing three new relief judges or two two um I notified the mayor mayor Pro tem members of Council on Friday that one of the nominees has withdrawn her name as a judge for our court in that she's going to finish out her District Court opinion or appointment that's Judge Patricia Herron okay thank you so just two thank you further questions of chief judge I see no nominations are in order uh councilmember comes this point of order Ed all of them in the nomination and can we take them all at once or do we have to vote individually Doug clerk you can vote on them all at one time we can or individually correct we can vote them all up yeah at one time not individually as proposed by judge day who judge day is proposing to be the judges if I may interject and I don't mean to overstep it's left to what council wishes to do um throughout my time on the bench in the 20 22 plus years on the bench it's been done different ways to where each judge individually has been considered but also at the same time Council in the past is done one motion to approve all of the judges and with one motion and one vote very well it could go either way but I would recommend one motion do you want to go ahead councilmember comes oh okay um so mayor I moved to reappoint associate judge Billy stiggers and relief judges James Anderson Jonathan Lucero Tricia McCarthy Mark Solomon Karen steinhauser and Rebecca watata and to appoint Gina Edwards Hickman and Brian Whitney second it's been moved by councilman second by the member Tim discussion I've seen nun call for the question remember Jess the motion passes to adopt item 7B a public invited to be heard thank you chief judge thank you all for your consideration appreciate it mayor we have three individuals in person the first person is Zach Keaton followed by Sarah hell uh good evening city council uh I hope you're doing well at the last meeting I'm uh I mentioned advice that I pulled from one on Council men's mentors that as a politician you will be better off being the voice of the people to the government rather than the government's voice to the people tonight I'm hoping to dive into this a little bit more and share a bit of a vision for Aurora it all starts with that last sentence be the voice of the people to the government I want to share with you my experience coming to this building in the middle of the day on a Tuesday a few weeks ago uh we are inside this impressive piece of architecture made out of some kind of stone it is the symbol of government to many in the local area you can point and say that building that that's where the government is it's the big Stone one by in and out uh when I entered this impressive establishment I was greeted by a security guard and there were four police officers now I should clarify that they were all very friendly and pointed me to where I needed to go but I had to ask myself how is this welcoming not everyone has the cultural privilege of being a six foot tall white guy that doesn't fear the police how can we represent the voice of the people if the people are too scared to even approach the building we work from I want to add a clarifier and a bit of gratitude gratitude to the officers present and listening so as to not put out the wrong message your service is appreciated and I have um then I have more time to talk about I would only like to point out that smiles and handshakes make more friends than bulletproof vests and tasers um getting back to the point um if people are too scared to engage with the government because of what they see online what does it say about to the one person who shows up here in the middle of the day to be scared off will that person ever come back to participate in government again I've already emailed and discussed with you a few ideas about restructuring the city council and the way that we do things I'm not one to pretend that I have all the answers but I can share with you some questions that I ask myself what if we had a full-time city council what if those city councilors were paid fairly what if uh this what if the city hall uh you came to you were welcomed by something like the Aurora History Museum rather than armed guards what if we could build a diverse yet Collective identity through a shared history and going back to the top what if we could turn this place into the people's voice to the government than the other way around those are just a few thoughts I had about this place I want to wish you all happy Christmas Hanukkah New Year and whatever holidays you're all into so cheers Sarah Hal followed by Tanya tabachek foreign Howell and I'd like to first thank you for your service to my community I describe myself as a Colorado Native Native my father's family came to Colorado with funds with something called the Indian relocation act he was given housing and furniture and Health Services to become a member of this community I grew up here in this metro area I became a teacher in Denver public schools where my father was a principal and um about five years into my teaching career my father told me to buy a house so I did what he told me I bought a house here in Aurora in 1991 and I've lived here ever since I'm here to talk about the impound fees that I had to pay as a car theft victim and I'm asking you to rethink making me feel like a victim again um first of all I am a very happy tax paying resident I always vote for increases in taxes I'm grateful to everything a city or a community or a state or a country gives me in services to make my life better as a resident I have always voted for any tax increase not last Monday but the Monday before on the 21st my car was stolen at Aurora Mall I only live three miles away I was angry enough that I could just fly home by walking because I was so angry I was contacted a week later by the police at eight o'clock in the morning so I didn't catch the call so I called them back they said I could come pick up my car and I'm like really within a week you found my car I didn't say that out loud I was given address to come pick up the car I went to go pick up my car just showing up in a dress that's all I was given was an address come to find out what it was an impound lot and I didn't know that I had a neighbor drive me there and drop me off once again with no way to get home because I didn't know the car was inoperable I was also told I'd have to pay a fee to get the car out and and in my mind that made me feel like a victim because I pay my taxes to have the car found I don't believe I should pay to have it given back to me when I called tonight to the impound lot to ask what that fee was he told me before he gave me the information he actually got a little angry with me saying um well how do you think the city can reclaim those fees of Towing my car and if it was 185 dollar fee that means he he must have towed it from New Mexico or something because it certainly didn't cost this city 185 dollars for wherever you found my car to drive it or take it back to the impound lot um I was given this in the mail two days after I had paid that fee to get my car um towed to a place to get it fixed so two days later this card says I can actually go to court or make fir make further efforts that I have to make to try and get those in pound fees paid back to my insurance company and again I feel like a victim where I have to go through a process to get those fees paid back and I don't think that's right and I think that's all I wanted to say thank you thank you very much Tanya tabachek okay I would like her contact information Katie and me as well thank you hello uh good evening mayor and mayor Pro tem and council member solution I wish you a happy holidays and so forth I just wanted to bring up some pointers and the first thing I would like to thank councilman councilman gerinsky for going to my mom's narf meeting and they did go for whatever narf means and I'm sorry I don't have that in my head right now my mom didn't respond to me so I apologize but um she spoke about her passion of Aurora and gave updates on the crime and homelessness and other items it was very that did q a and so forth for my mom and offered to come back with presenters and speakers so I appreciate her taking the time to come to the meeting for my mom also I just feel like she's an inspiration for like myself and other people that want to get more involved with the government and become more be able to speak up more and to save my thoughts and my plans of what bothers me and whatnot without retribution back um other than that um I just wanted to say thank you for everyone and I appreciate it again councilman George ski and for going to my mom's meeting for today thank you that was the last speaker adoption of the agenda the motion uh councilman comes move to approve the agenda all right so council member coomb seconded by Sunbury the councilmember sunberg to approve the agenda discussion seeing no discussion call for the question on the adoption of the agenda mayor Kaufman Mayo chess council member Medina the motion passes to adopt the agenda uh adoption of the consent calendar item number 10A through 10v motion uh councilmember McConnell thank you sir move to approve items 10 a through 10 B if you moved by councilmember McConnell seconded by second by council member Lawson to approve the consent calendar item number 10A through 10 B yeah I'm sorry V as in Victor mayor Kaufman uh yes can I um discussion or oh I'm sorry discussion yes mayor uh mayor Tim and don't worry I'm not trying to delay anything um just a question to staff on there's a series of arpa monies that were distributed um and I know that they applied in 2020 and we're now awarding the monies pretty much in almost 2023. so my question just is are any of the projects that were identified in in progress or did they have to wait for this funding and why did it take so long we'll have staff come down to answer this question I think there might be a little bit of confusion I think these were part of the community investment act rfps but uh Miss Montoya can speak to the details and there shouldn't have been any delay but she can answer that representation by staff good evening mayor and council members um Yes actually these Agreements are part of the Community Development investment rounds and that's why it it takes time for us to go through the round do the presentations put the agreements together and so we've gone through those steps and that's why it took so long for us to bring it up to this point okay that was basically I just wanted um you know the public to know that there's a process that we have to go through especially with these type of Grants and then um in terms of the money being awarded then they would be able to start on any of the housing initiatives that they have in place correct the development projects that we have approved the funding for okay thank you further questions to staff so if I could do one quick clarification so these are on the consent agenda they are motions in your backup there were resolutions those were just inappropriately done these are not resolutions the mayor can vote as their motions further questions to staff mayor uh councilman Combs I just wanted to note that we're it's council member Marcano is coming through fairly quiet so I don't know if there's anything we can do about that that is unusual foreign can we do a test here can you all hear me okay yes we're fine we're fine all right great thank you much better very well um um well it's close to close subtle question we've already voted on well no we haven't uh Is there further discussion uh with a call for the question on uh the consent the adoption of the consent calendar councilmember Medina motion passes to adopt the consent calendar uh number 19a consideration to elect the mayor Pro Tem nominations are in order uh mayor mayor for Tim I'd like to appoint Curtis Gardner to Mayor Pro Tim second moved by me and pro tem second by zavonic councilman zovanic uh to place a nomination uh council member or Point Curtis Gardner mayor substitute motion uh councilmember Maria I'd like to make a motion or I'd like to move to a point uh council member Allison Coombs says mayor Pro Tim moved by councilman Rio second by e Mercado councilman McConnell to a a point to councilman McCombs uh discussion I've seen no discussion um sorry I'm sorry council member Coombs quick enough to the uh Mike so yeah I just wanted to you know let my colleagues know I think that I have worked with all of you respectfully collaboratively when there have been items that we could change and come to a better consensus on I've tried to work with you to do that in addition I have built relationships with a lot of folks in our community spent a lot of time with organizations as well as individuals to really hear what folks have to say and what's important to them in government likewise as a member of Dr Cog and quite a few other boards and committees outside of the city I have built relationships with other local governments and the state government and so I think that I would be able to use those relationships to make sure that the city is well represented and be able to look at what kinds of workshops and opportunities we can have to really build our relationships and increase our efficacy as a council so I hope that I can secure your votes further discussion I've seen the question before us is the adoption of the substitute motion and that is to appoint councilmember Allison Coombs to the position of Mayor Pro Tem uh call for the question mayor Kaufman uh mayor Rosa council member Medina the motion does not pass with seven no votes four yes votes from council member Medina Marcano Combs and Mario to the original uh mayor Tim motion uh to appoint councilmember Curtis Gardner to the position of Mayor Pro Tem a discussion see no discussion call for the question mayor Kaufman uh mayor Richards thank you the motion passes to elect council member Gardner as mayor Pro tem for 2023. reports I call it cut it too quick upstairs working hours I was a little bit late coming downstairs and so I'd like to read the land acknowledgment that I was not able to do at the beginning of the meeting the city of Aurora acknowledges That We Gather on the territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne uterapo and Lakota people's past and present we also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal Nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado indigenous peoples have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries as these words of acknowledgment are spoken and heard the ties that these nations have to their traditional homelands and to their vital place in the ecosystem are renewed and reaffirmed and we are called to be better stewards of the land we inhabit as we continue to work to meet the needs of our entire community um councilmember Lawson thank you mayor I'm going to read from the federal state and governmental Relations Committee in Congress lawmakers are still without a deal on the fiscal year 2023 Appropriations bills raising the chances of another short-term continuing resolution through December 23rd the Colorado Municipal League policy committee which I'm a member of met on December 2nd to review potential State legislation in 2023 the executive committee will meet on December 9th which I'm also a part of that committee to review and approve or modify those recommendations for the policy committee once those actions have been taken staff will provide that information and specific CML positions via email to the mayor and Council and that's all I have mayor thank you council member Gardner thank you mayor um two things just first want to say thank you to my colleagues for electing me to the mayor Pro 10 position for next year and then second wanted to mention tomorrow for those who aren't aware as Colorado gives day we have quite a few great non-profits doing some really good work in Aurora so I'd encourage everyone to find if you have the ability to find a group that you can support tomorrow for Colorado gives day that's it thank you councilmember joinski yeah in the past week I was invited to speak to a few different groups Nana was one of them in Northwest Aurora and then a neighborhood group and then this morning the narf group and I you know aurorans are really engaged right now and want to hear what's going on and want updates so I am working really hard to not turn down any speaking requests for holiday parties or any neighborhood get-togethers this month and making that a priority so anybody who you know would like me to attend your neighborhood get together or any Christmas or holiday party please send me an email and I will happily accept customer zeronic thanks mayor um so earlier tonight the public got to see a new interim Chief Acevedo sworn in this afternoon what the public might not have had a chance to see was the farewell to interim Chief Dan Oates and I just want to let everybody know how thankful I am that she votes took time from his retirement to come back to the city of Aurora he did an incredible job of putting our Police Department back on their toes he showed that there is a balance that can be struck between constitutional policing and ensuring the safety of our community and I appreciate what he did I look forward to having Chief Acevedo and I wish Chief Oates the best in his retirement back in Florida councilman Memorial councilman Memorial uh thank you mayor I wanted to stay lots of deserving organizations in Aurora that could really benefit from any donations and congratulations to councilmember Gardner on the appointment of a mayor Pro tem and happy holidays all and thank you councilmember Sundberg thank you mayor just a shout out to the build up Aurora program to creatively Finance Road repairs you know I live out in Murphy Creek and there's a lot of wild animals out there coyotes foxes Birds of Prey small animals were disappearing but they're actually falling through the cracks in the road sir but we've written that taken care of other than that no report sir okay uh with that um councilmember Medina no report mayor thank you councilman McConnell particular so first I'd like to appoint Erica Alfonso to the citizens advisory budget committee second I just want to let you all know that our next Ward 4 meeting is going to be on Thursday January 12th at 6 30 pm at Colorado early colleges we're going to have presentations followed by q a from Aurora Public Schools director and Kiki District 4 Arapahoe County Commissioner elect Leslie summey and an introduction with interim Chief art Acevedo so it should be a very informative meeting and I hope that you all are able to attend and I also want to invite you all to join us tomorrow evening for the holiday tree lighting ceremony which begins at 5 pm at City Hall have a great night everybody comes thank you mayor um so visit Aurora had their annual meeting which many of you attended and we also had our board meeting we had considerable discussion about making sure that we are pursuing our strategic initiatives and I know we have um City staff that are going to be going with a visit Aurora representatives to look into other City's Signature Events because that's one of the ways that we're hoping to increase tourism within the city Dr cogg has our board work session coming up and we're going to be talking about um how land use is part of our transportation planning and kind of that relationship between land use and housing and transportation planning so looking forward to that conversation wanted to Echo that build up Aurora and the event that we held on that was an excellent event and one of my constituents was able to speak as a community member about the impact of that and then this weekend on Saturday I was able to go to the NAACP youth lunch and learn at Community College of Aurora where students were learning about just the process of getting into college and then we also talked to them as well about Civic engagement and Leadership more generally and then I also want to thank my colleagues for your consideration for mayor Pro tem and congratulate council member Gardner and happy holidays to everyone thank you mayor um and uh as I mentioned last week we had our an additional region 9 opioid governance meeting and at that meeting we were able to pretty much narrow down the projects that we're going to fund so our next step is to go to RFP um and then attended the build up Aurora event at Summer Valley Park which was great we had media attention there and so really happy that we're going to be able to finally fix some of the uh the residential roads that have been neglected for so long I also want to thank Chief Oates for his service to the city of Aurora and um and congratulations to council member Gardner on mayor Pro Tem that's it thank you so you know business before the Aurora city council meeting is adjourned foreign [Music] foreign thank you thank you