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2026-05-11 - City Council Work Session

Summary

Built from the official minutes (Legistar status: Final). No video is posted. Called to order at 9:00 AM by President Crow-Iverson; adjourned at 2:17 PM.

  • Eight of nine members present: Casey, President Crow-Iverson, Gold (virtual), Henjum, Leinweber (virtual), Rainey Jr., President Pro Tem Risley and Williams. Donelson was excused.
  • Henjum asked that item 4B.E (liaison ratification) be removed from the May 12 Consent Calendar; Council agreed by consensus (see 2026-05-12 - City Council). The April 27 work session minutes were approved by consensus. No executive session.
  • Three general-information presentations: Pikes Peak Housing Network's State of Housing report, Hey Neighbor, and Pikes Peak State College.
  • Ten items for introduction: two West Cheyenne Mountain State Park acquisitions with matching appropriations, two urban forest ordinances, single exit stairways, child care centers, the HOME-ARP amendment and a code of ethics rewrite. No votes are taken at a work session.
  • Councilmember reports: Henjum thanked supporters of her Town Hall; Rainey Jr. announced a Boards and Commissions Appreciation Night on May 13, 5:30 to 7:30 PM, a USAFA Visitor Center ribbon cutting and the Pikes Peak Regional Memorial on May 15, and the State of the Base at Peterson Space Force Base on May 19; Leinweber said fifteen minutes per day in nature saves $374 per person a year in healthcare costs.

Presentations for general information

  • State of Housing: Jill Gaebler, Executive Director of the Pikes Peak Housing Network, covered homebuyer demographics, the housing deficit, prices and rents, median household income, building permits from 2005 to 2025 and income against home prices. Henjum asked whether permit counts are buildings or units (units); Rainey Jr. asked about the data source (Apartment Trends); Williams asked about trends before 2000 (data covers twenty years); Risley noted fewer houses are being built for a larger population; Henjum raised income inequality, homelessness, water and infrastructure (Gaebler: apartments use half the water of a single-family home); Casey asked how rising construction and land costs affected affordability (she focuses on infill, which has higher land costs, and will research).
  • Hey Neighbor: Executive Director Kelly Bull described the vision, programs, Neighborhood University, community coordinators and leaders, Neighborhood Gatherings, Neighborhood Cafe, Block Party, Planting Party and 150 Tables. Rainey Jr. asked the difference between coordinators (paid staff) and leaders (volunteers); Casey asked about tracking homeowners associations (the Planning Department took that over); Henjum asked about water conservation (a food forest watered with roof runoff).
  • Pikes Peak State College: Chief Advancement Officer Donna Nelson and President Lance Bolton covered the name change, move from community college to state college, bachelor's degree expansion, awards and the Law Enforcement Academy. Casey asked about tuition (about 3 to 5 percent a year, below Pell Grant levels); Henjum asked about high school connections (about 20 percent concurrent enrollment; use of artificial intelligence for engagement; focus on living-wage careers).
  • Agenda Planner Review (26-196), presented by City Clerk Sarah B. Johnson: no comments.

Items for introduction

Cheyenne Mountain State Park West Expansion

  • Items 8.A to 8.D (files 26-177 to 26-180): resolutions authorizing TOPS acquisition of about 40 acres each (West CMSP Parcels 1 and 2) and ordinances for supplemental appropriations of up to $162,000 each to the Trails, Open Space and Parks Fund. Presented by David Deitemeyer (Senior Program Administrator) for acting Parks Director Kim King and Design and Development Manager Lonna Thelen, covering the 2014 Park System Master Plan, the Cheyenne Mountain Heritage Trail, funding and timeline.
  • Henjum asked who owns land to the east: an 80-acre private parcel whose owner is not interested in selling. Leinweber asked about government-owned neighbors (sections identified as U.S. government, still being researched) and whether access rights would be kept (staff to follow up).

Urban Forest Code Rewrite

  • Items 8.E and 8.F (files 26-066 and 26-067): ordinances amending Article 1 and repealing Article 4 (Urban Forest) of the Parks chapter and creating a new Article 9 (Urban Forest) in Chapter 3 with penalties. City Forester Matthew Puckett covered Forestry duties, definitions, property owner duties, approved and non-approved tree lists, enforcement and the street tree program. Letters of support from several neighborhood and community groups were attached.
  • Henjum asked about staffing (the Forestry team would need four times its current staff to meet industry standards), the ash borer's effect (Puckett to provide), awareness of the right-of-way tree permit (about 50 percent), Siberian elm locations (citywide) and post-freeze care (two inches of organic hardwood mulch and supplemental water). Casey asked about contacting HOAs (staff can); Leinweber asked about storm damage to utilities (the City stays responsible; those trees are grandfathered); Williams asked about contractors (used for planned projects; staff handle reactive work).

Single Exit Stairway Code Adoption

  • Item 8.G (CODE-26-0003, citywide): ordinance adopting Pikes Peak Regional Building Code standards for single exits and stairways in Section 1404 of the Unified Development Code, responding to state HB25-1273. Building Official Roger Lovell and Daniel Sexton presented. Williams asked whether the 4,000 square foot limit applies to a below-grade floor (yes).
  • Risley said he believes the bill usurps Home Rule Authority and asked whether construction could proceed under the current International Building Code (not without variances matching the 2027 code); Lovell said he believes the added fire suppression cost will exceed the 7 to 12 percent savings and that building code should be written by the International Code Council. Risley asked about evacuation versus attack paths and power interruption with Fire Marshal Kris Cooper. Williams called the proposal extortion and asked whether the provisions are optional (Lovell: they are).

Child Care Center Code Amendments

  • Item 8.H (CODE-25-0006): ordinance on where adult and child day care centers are allowed and their standards, presented by Allison Stocker and Kevin Walker. Casey asked whether it affects home day cares (no, only commercial centers); Rainey Jr. asked how HOAs are told (the applicant is responsible for HOA restrictions); Henjum asked what PF means (Public Facilities, usually City-owned) and about opposition (some, not a large amount, expected at the hearing); Casey asked about non-residential buildings in R1-6 zones (rare, few conversions expected).

HOME-ARP Allocation Plan Amendment

  • Item 8.I (file 26-152): Aimee Cox, Chief Housing and Homelessness Response Officer, presented the HOME-ARP amendment for HUD. Rainey Jr. asked about correcting course in 2027 (this one-time adjustment is the correction so funds are spent by 2030); Leinweber asked what supporting at-risk people costs (about $2.4 million for rental assistance for 80 households for two years) and the Point in Time count (1,745). Henjum asked for a Colorado Springs Housing Authority Board presentation at a future work session; Crow-Iverson supported the resolution.

Ethics Code Revisions

  • Item 8.J (file 26-211): ordinance amending multiple sections of Article 3 (Code of Ethics), introduced by Risley with Senior Legislative Analyst Carly Hoff. Risley called it a serious issue that cost taxpayer dollars. Casey said the City-vehicle language should cover staff as well as elected officials; Risley said the intent is to bar family members from driving City vehicles. Rainey Jr. asked that "personal errands" become "personal use" (Risley agreed).
  • Chief of Staff Wayne Williams said the Mayor and the security detail use separate vehicles and summarized the City Auditor's directive to develop Administrative Regulation 206-04, with benchmarks from the Police Executive Research Forum, Denver, the State of Colorado, Personnel Policy 56 and the Colorado Springs Utilities chief executive's contract. Henjum said the Mayor deserves a personal life alongside service; Williams said the need for protection continues on non-official business. Rainey Jr. asked about U.S. Conference of Mayors guidance on political violence (Williams to provide the report), rental versus City vehicles (rentals have unlimited miles; personal vehicles are reimbursed at the IRS rate) and a joint session with the Administration (Williams welcomed it). Crow-Iverson said the governor's security level differs from the Mayor's and the utilities chief executive policy is part of a contract.

Sources