Latest news with #PuebloCityCouncil
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Future of Pueblo City Park Bathhouse is uncertain
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — At a recent Pueblo City Council meeting, a Friends of City Park representative used public comment to express frustration with the City's decision not to award a management agreement for the City Park Bathhouse facility. 'Forget about the time we spent, countless hours of the city staff wasted preparing this, answering questions related to it, conducting multiple site visits, and ultimately evaluating,' George Koncilja, President of Friends of City Park, explained. 'All a complete waste if we were set up to be rejected all along.' The bathhouse, constructed during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era around the time of the Great Depression, has suffered from significant structural issues related to groundwater infiltration and unstable soil conditions. These issues, combined with the need for modern amenities and ADA accessibility, led to the City's decision to seek updates to the bathhouse to serve future generations. After many failed funding attempts, the city created a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to find a partner who could take full responsibility for restoring and operating the bathhouse without additional burden to taxpayers. 'Ultimately, we were the only ones to respond,' Koncilja said. 'We exceeded what was asked of us. We were rejected, however, because of four specific points.' The proposal wanted historical designation for the facility, which the City Council had previously rejected. It also failed to meet restroom requirements, something Mayor Heather Graham explained on her podcast, 'The Mayor's Mixtape.' 'The city asked for a certain amount of restrooms to be provided based off capacity in the area with the tennis courts, with the state tournaments that come down,' Mayor Graham said. 'That was not met.' The President of Friends of City Park said he attended the most recent tennis tournament at the facility, where he claims there was never a line of people waiting for the restrooms. 'There's absolutely no need to have 15 toilet fixtures in that facility,' Koncilja explained. 'Our proposal would more than double what they currently have for fixture count to five men's and five women's. Far more than enough for the average day.' Pueblo Mayor responds to failed bath house funding City staff said that while grassroots efforts of the community are welcome and encouraged to preserve the bathhouse facility, adherence to the requirements of the RFP is essential for the responsible operation and ongoing maintenance of the building. After the latest funding attempt, where the Steel City goes from here is uncertain. 'It's really going to be up to the City Council if they want to dedicate general fund dollars,' Mayor Graham explained. While one Pueblo City Council Member said he is ready to move on entirely. 'I think there are many more productive things we could be focusing on, much more important issues in the City that we could be focusing on.' Brett Boston, Pueblo City Council, Representative at Large, said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pueblo City Council back to the drawing board with 'no sit, no lie' ordinance
A majority of Pueblo City Council wants to ban homeless people from sitting or lying down in business districts, but a "no sit, no lie" ordinance still failed in a 5-2 vote on April 28. Earlier this year, councilor Joe Latino requested that council reintroduce a failed 2022 ordinance prohibiting individuals from sitting or lying down in the Downtown business area's rights of way between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., or "regular business hours," according to a city of Pueblo background paper. However, Deputy Attorney Harley Gifford said April 28 he was later directed by council to expand the original ordinance to include more than just the Downtown business area. "I couldn't find any other examples of a citywide type of 'no sit, no lay,' so we tried to tailor it to the business areas that council expressed concerns about," Gifford said. The ordinance reviewed by council on April 28 included the Bessemer, Mesa Junction, U.S. Highway 50 and Eastside business areas in addition to Downtown. However, some members of council expressed a desire to expand the ordinance. Councilor Roger Gomez asked if the ordinance could be amended to be citywide, and Councilor Regina Maestri suggested the ordinance be enforced at all hours of the day. "This should be a 24/7 thing... that's when the windows get broken," Maestri said. "I'm not understanding why we're the bad guy. Guess what? If homeless people were just homeless, and they just sat around and they cleaned up their mess, put their stuff in the trash, didn't litter, didn't defecate — it might be a whole different story." While speaking in support of a sit-lie ordinance of some kind, Councilor Brett Boston and Latino also expressed concerns about Pueblo's homeless disrupting business areas. Pueblo City Council President Mark Aliff said he initially had concerns about a sit-lie ordinance adding onto existing laws, but said Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller made a "compelling argument" for such an ordinance during a work session. Councilor Dennis Flores said he felt the city's existing loitering ordinance was a sufficient enough law and that police already had "enough to do." Councilor Sarah Martinez said an ordinance restricting sitting and lying was not only "unnecessary," but also disproportionately targeting the homeless. "We need real, compassionate solutions — housing, outreach, mental health care and support services — and this ordinance doesn't provide any of those," Martinez said. "So for those reasons, I'll be voting no, because criminalizing survival is not leadership and it's not the direction that our city should be going." The April 28 vote failed 5-2, with Latino and Maestri being the only "yes" votes. Following the ordinance's failure, Aliff directed Gifford to work with Latino to draft another ordinance for future review. Cinco de Mayo: Here's where to celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2025 in Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo City Council can't agree to terms on no sit/lie ordinance
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pueblo's homeless can now be ticketed for public camping regardless of available shelter
A lack of available shelter no longer restricts police from enforcing Pueblo's ban on public camping. Pueblo City Council voted 5-2 on March 10 to approve an ordinance amending the 2024 city camping ban. A city background paper on the ordinance said the amendment was put forth "to conform with" the U.S. Supreme Court's City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson decision ruling that public camping restrictions are not "cruel and unusual punishment"— even if shelter beds are not available. Violators of Pueblo's ban face a fine of up to $1,000. The city's March 10 ordinance removed a portion of the 2024 camping ban that stated individuals cannot violate the ban if "there is no access to other shelter available." Councilor Regina Maestri, who introduced the initial camping ban, said it was introduced to keep the city's environment "safe and clean." She also said there is "nothing" in her or any other council member's "purview" to solve the issue of homelessness in Pueblo. "As Americans, they have the right to just say, 'No, I don't want to get better. I just want to continue to stay here. You can't make me take my medication. You can't make me go to the state hospital. You can't make me do anything,' ... The taxpayers have spent tens of thousands of dollars cleaning up these camps," she said. Maestri voted in favor of the March 10 ordinance along with Council President Mark Aliff and Councilors Brett Boston, Roger Gomez and Joe Latino. Councilors Dennis Flores and Sarah Martinez voted against it. Flores and Martinez were also the only council members to vote against the initial camping ban in 2024. "This is one example of cruelty to people that are being blamed for every crime that is occurring, I guess, in Pueblo," Flores said of the new ordinance. "In our society and our legal system, you have to prove that somebody does something before you can cite them. There has to be evidence and we are blaming them for every window that's broken on Union (Avenue)." The ordinance also faced opposition from five members of the public who — like Flores and Martinez — said the ordinance unfairly targets Pueblo's unhoused community and is an ultimately ineffective way to address homelessness. "Pueblo needs care," community member Chela Lujan said while speaking against the ordinance. "It needs nurturing. It needs affordable housing. It needs stable jobs. It needs good education. It needs food. It needs community support. Safe, healthy communities have more resources — not more punishments." Pueblo Director of Public Affairs Haley Sue Robinson told the Chieftain that as of March 11, there were nine beds available for men and six for women at the city's only full-time homeless shelter. The city's permanent shelter can serve up to 90 individuals, while its emergency shelter can accommodate up to 75. Efforts to recall Pueblo mayor: 'I wasn't surprised': Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham weighs in on recall effort Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo updates camping ban to remove shelter requirement
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pueblo's homeless can now be ticketed for public camping regardless of available shelter
A lack of available shelter no longer restricts police from enforcing Pueblo's ban on public camping. Pueblo City Council voted 5-2 on March 10 to approve an ordinance amending the 2024 city camping ban. A city background paper on the ordinance said the amendment was put forth "to conform with" the U.S. Supreme Court's City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson decision ruling that public camping restrictions are not "cruel and unusual punishment"— even if shelter beds are not available. Violators of Pueblo's ban face a fine of up to $1,000. The city's March 10 ordinance removed a portion of the 2024 camping ban that stated individuals cannot violate the ban if "there is no access to other shelter available." Councilor Regina Maestri, who introduced the initial camping ban, said it was introduced to keep the city's environment "safe and clean." She also said there is "nothing" in her or any other council member's "purview" to solve the issue of homelessness in Pueblo. "As Americans, they have the right to just say, 'No, I don't want to get better. I just want to continue to stay here. You can't make me take my medication. You can't make me go to the state hospital. You can't make me do anything,' ... The taxpayers have spent tens of thousands of dollars cleaning up these camps," she said. Maestri voted in favor of the March 10 ordinance along with Council President Mark Aliff and Councilors Brett Boston, Roger Gomez and Joe Latino. Councilors Dennis Flores and Sarah Martinez voted against it. Flores and Martinez were also the only council members to vote against the initial camping ban in 2024. "This is one example of cruelty to people that are being blamed for every crime that is occurring, I guess, in Pueblo," Flores said of the new ordinance. "In our society and our legal system, you have to prove that somebody does something before you can cite them. There has to be evidence and we are blaming them for every window that's broken on Union (Avenue)." The ordinance also faced opposition from five members of the public who — like Flores and Martinez — said the ordinance unfairly targets Pueblo's unhoused community and is an ultimately ineffective way to address homelessness. "Pueblo needs care," community member Chela Lujan said while speaking against the ordinance. "It needs nurturing. It needs affordable housing. It needs stable jobs. It needs good education. It needs food. It needs community support. Safe, healthy communities have more resources — not more punishments." Pueblo Director of Public Affairs Haley Sue Robinson told the Chieftain that as of March 11, there were nine beds available for men and six for women at the city's only full-time homeless shelter. The city's permanent shelter can serve up to 90 individuals, while its emergency shelter can accommodate up to 75. Efforts to recall Pueblo mayor: 'I wasn't surprised': Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham weighs in on recall effort Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo updates camping ban to remove shelter requirement
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham defends grocery tax, says city budget needs 'immediate' relief
Days after protestors demonstrated against a possible 3.5% city tax on groceries, Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham said the tax would provide necessary and "immediate" relief to the city budget. The possibility of a grocery tax was floated during a Jan. 6 Pueblo City Council work session and in Graham's Jan. 24 State of the City address. Such a tax would need to be approved by Pueblo City Council and city of Pueblo voters. While Graham has advocated for a grocery tax, several members of Pueblo City Council were critical of it at the Jan. 6 work session. Additionally, community protestors outside Pueblo City Hall decried the tax as placing an unfair burden on working and middle-class residents to generate revenue. "Obviously, we need taxes," community member Sydney Haney told the Chieftain on Feb. 5. "They really support our infrastructure. They support our schools. They support things that we use every single day, but we believe that a grocery tax is the wrong way to go about taxing the citizens because it hurts the most disenfranchised in our communities." Citing information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the financial advising website reports that Colorado families of four spend an average of about $1,366 per month on groceries. A 3.5% tax would add almost $48 to that monthly bill. Following a request for comment on the protests, Graham sent a written statement to the Chieftain on Feb. 10 in which she defended the proposed tax. "Last week protestors gathered to petition the government because of multiple issues, one being the potential of the proposed grocery tax which could generate anywhere from $8-12 million annually to assist the current $8.6 million shortfall in the City's budget," Graham said in a written statement to the Chieftain. She added that while she has evaluated the city budget to see where expenditures could be cut and worked toward "long-term solutions" like bringing additional housing stock and businesses, city taxes have not been raised in 50 years. In her statement, the mayor also addressed protestors' calls for a vacancy tax that would target corporate landlords and real estate investors as opposed to the broader population in the city. Graham said the city currently has vacant property registration requiring an annual fee of $500. "In 2024, over $91,000 in fees were collected through this program which includes both residential and commercial properties. Nearly $100,000 in revenue in one year does not even begin to touch the $8.6 million deficit the City of Pueblo faces," Graham's statement reads. If Pueblo were to implement a grocery tax, the city would not be the first to do so. About 77% of Colorado's 66 home-rule cities have implemented taxes on "food for home consumption." Money generated from these taxes may be used for road paving, parks and recreation improvements, and special interest projects, according to the mayor's office. To assist with the city's current budget shortfall, about $3 million was allocated for capital improvement projects, compared to the $15 million to $20 million that was allocated in previous years. Additionally, the city has implemented a hiring freeze and eliminated 18 positions. "While this initiative is up to the vote of the people and will appear on the ballot if approved by Pueblo City Council later this year, a trusted revenue source must be secured to address quality of life, essential services and a healthy, vibrant Pueblo remain for generations," according to a statement from the mayor's office. Grocery tax protests: Pueblo protesters say grocery tax would be 'burden' on working class families Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham is pushing a tax on groceries
