For the second time in as many weeks, the Denver City Council has delayed a vote on a bill that would gradually release $800 million over 35 years to provide financial support for the National Western Equestrian Center project.

City Council members voted 7 to 5 on Monday to postpone approving a project support agreement by two weeks to allow for more community conversations between National Western representatives, city officials and residents.

Representing the GES Coalition, Alfonso Espino said more time is needed as the group was only made aware of information surrounding a 1% hotel room fee, which would help fund a community investment fund, three weeks ago.

“We didn’t know what the percentage on the room fee would be, up until three weeks ago,” Espino told the council members, saying the additional time could make way for discussions that could include increasing the proposed room fee.

Supporters of the project say the horse-centric center, along with its 160-room full-service hotel, a parking garage and workforce housing, will create jobs and could contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to a community impact fund designed to support residents of nearby Globeville and Elyria-Swansea impacted or displaced by the project.

However, some remain skeptical, citing transparency issues.

“To be direct on this issue, we are sincerely concerned about the precedent of how decisions are made without real buy-in from the community organizations that are on-the-ground across the three neighborhoods,” said former City Councilmember and board member of the GES Community Investment Fund Candi CdeBaca in a letter to members of Denver City Council. “I’ve seen this playbook before. Community engagement that is performative. Benefits that are vague. Promises that get thinner the closer you look.”

National Western Authority officials have offered two revenue sources: the 1% hotel room fee and a “round up,” which would allow National Western retail customers to “round up” their purchases at the center.

Both would accrue annually.

Leery residents say they want a clearer and more predictable funding mechanism. They have proposed that the city pay a $16 million lump sum upfront into the community investment fund to ensure funds are available as the years go by.

District 9 Councilmember Darrell Watson said his office has started to field questions from community members about the $16 million lump sum, specifically from the city’s “2C” voter-approved dollars – a 2015 ballot measure that extended taxes on rental cars and hotel rooms.

City finance officials say 2C funds are restricted funds specifically identified for projects at the convention center and the National Western Complex.

Council members were divided on delaying the vote.

District 2 Councilmember Kevin Flynn, who voted against delaying the vote, said postponing the vote for another two weeks was still not enough time to reach a comprehensive agreement on increasing contributions to the community investment fund and that a delay was holding the project support agreement “hostage” unnecessarily.

“I think the National Western Center is a true asset to the city and county of Denver,” District 6 Councilmember Paul Kashmann said.

The council will again consider the bill June 2.