The Denver City Council will likely decide Monday whether to ban homeless encampment sweeps during weather below freezing.

If the ordinance is approved, city encampment sweeps would be delayed if the National Weather Service reports temperatures below 32 degrees in the previous 48 hours.

Encampment residents are normally given seven-day sweep notices. If an encampment sweep gets delayed, another seven-day notice would be given to the encampment, according to a spokesperson from the Denver Department of Public Safety.

Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration closed several encampments in December to reach his goal of housing 1,000 homeless people before the end of the year.

“Mayor Johnston’s first priority is keeping Denverites safe and healthy,” a mayor’s office spokesperson told The Denver Gazette last week. “We know that cold temperatures pose a serious danger to people living outdoors, and this proposal will limit the actions the city can take to keep people safe.”

The goal of the ban, proposed by some homeless advocates, is to avoid exposing homeless people to dangerously cold weather because the sweeps disrupt their current sheltering in tents that keep them warm.

In other action, the council will consider:

Contracts and Resolutions

• A $371 million, seven-year contract with LAZ Parking Midwest, LLC to provide shuttle services at Denver International Airport. The contract includes three one-year options to extend.
• A $1.6 million funding agreement with Elevation Community Land Trust to acquire 1523 and 1551 Verbena St., which are to be used as affordable housing properties.
• A $1 million contract with Stream Design, LLC for architectural and engineering design services for new park designs at 47th and Walden in District 11.
• An intergovernmental agreement with Denver Health and Hospital Authority adding $2.6 million to a contract for a new total of $5.1 million to provide paramedics and vans to the Support Team Assisted Response program through the end of 2024.