2026-06-08 - City Council Work Session
Summary
Built from the official minutes (Legistar status: Final). No video is posted.
- All nine members present: President Crow-Iverson, President Pro Tem Risley, and Councilmembers Casey, Donelson, Gold, Henjum, Leinweber, Rainey Jr. and Williams. Called to order at 9:00 AM; adjourned at 12:19 PM after a closed executive session.
- Changes to the June 9 Consent Calendar: Williams asked that item 4B.E (the Briargate/Voyager rezoning) be pulled; Council agreed by consensus. The May 26 work session minutes were approved by consensus.
- City Auditor Natalie Lovell presented the Office of the City Auditor's 2026 through 2030 Strategic Plan (information only).
- Quarterly financial report: first four months of 2026 revenue about 4 percent above 2025 year to date; CFO Charae McDaniel said she is confident no mid-year budget cuts will be needed if trends hold; single-family building permits are down against an exceptionally low 2025.
- Introduced: the 2027 Cemetery Enterprise fees and charges resolution (the permanent fund is about $12 million) and the Chapter 7 stormwater permanent control measures ordinance (no comments).
- Closed executive session for legal advice on the Old Colorado City Downtown Development Authority: at least two-thirds of Council agreed to proceed (electronically).
- No formal votes were taken beyond consensus on the minutes and consent calendar change.
City Auditor Strategic Plan
- Natalie Lovell covered mission, vision, values, focus areas, the balanced scorecard and reporting fraud, waste and abuse. Henjum asked about "Audit Insight" micro sessions of two to three minutes. See Auditor Strategic Plan Review.
Quarterly Financial Report
- Charae McDaniel reviewed General Fund Sales and Use Tax, non-sales-tax revenue, Lodging and Auto Rental Tax (LART), the recreational marijuana special five percent tax fund, salary and benefit expenses, economic indicators and 2027 budget key dates.
- Donelson confirmed revenue is about 4 percent higher; the big non-sales-tax categories are charges for services, intergovernmental revenue such as the Highway User Tax, investment earnings and surplus payments from Colorado Springs Utilities. McDaniel did not have a dollar figure for the 2 percent by which sales and use tax is tracking over budget and would not project the rest of the year.
- Risley asked about construction and home sales; McDaniel said home prices have fallen on weaker demand but construction is hard to project. Leinweber noted 2025 single-family permits were exceptionally low, which McDaniel confirmed, adding that 2021 and 2022 were exceptionally high and are poor comparisons. Rainey was told a new modeling structure has been in place for about a year.
- See 2027 City Budget Planning.
Cemetery fees for 2027
- Kim King and Cheryl Godbout presented; questions on market position, inventory, land purchase timing (ten to twenty years), the corpus (about $12 million), 640 blocks, vaults and the Monument Disposal Fee. The title cites Resolution No. 86-25 as repealed while the minutes text says 71-24. See Cemetery Enterprise Fee Increase.
Stormwater ordinance
- Erin Powers presented the Chapter 7 (Unified Development Code) stormwater permanent control measures ordinance (agenda file 26-216, signed Ordinance 26-25); Richard Mulledy, Public Works Director, was listed as co-presenter. No comments. See Stormwater Quality Code Update.
Closed session
- Stefanie Boster, City Attorney, announced the executive session under City Charter art. III, section 3-60(d) and C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b) (and (e) as stated aloud) for legal advice on the Old Colorado City DDA. Crow-Iverson polled Council. See Old Colorado City DDA Dissolution; the ordinance to dissolve the DDA came to Council in July.
Councilmember reports
- Henjum: Public Safety Committee, the Civility Retreat on June 6, and Fourth of July events coordinated by the Sports Corp.
- Leinweber: Get Outdoors Day at Prospect Lake; a town hall with Braver Angels hosted with Crow-Iverson and Risley, next on July 27 at Library 21c.
- Gold: observances including Pride Month festivities June 13 to 14; urged voting in the June 2026 primary; will moderate a Colorado Governor's Forum on June 14.
- Rainey: thanked Colorado Springs Utilities for a substation tour; praised the Public Works media campaign on a major traffic reconfiguration; plans a Small Business Economic Forum.
- Donelson: honored a retired police commander after 29 years; reported a town hall at Fire Station 14 on May 28.
- Casey: District 2 town hall June 30 at 5:30 PM at Fire Station 19.
Sources
Data notes: Sarah B. Johnson is the City Clerk who signed the minutes. The agenda title of the cemetery resolution and the minutes text cite different prior resolution numbers.