Tag: Alison Coombs
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As expensive housing moves in, Aurora residents fear displacement
A set of crutches teetered on top of cardboard boxes and black trash bags amassed on the front yard. A fan lay upside down, flung below them in the pile. Draped across heaps of other household items, a rug. A hollow filing cabinet stood nearby, emptied of its drawers. For roughly a week, the home’s…
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Aurora debates tax cut in split council decision
Aurora is on the path to eliminating a tax that generates several million in annual revenue. While some lawmakers say the tax is an unfair burden to the city’s businesses and workforce, others see the move as a glaring fiscal misstep. The city council voted 5-5 on Monday to give initial approval to a bill…
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Aurora council debates earlier meeting start time, new agenda rules
The Aurora City Council discussed two proposals from Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Gardner on Monday that would change council meetings times and how council votes on some issues that come up for consideration. Gardner’s first proposal seeks to change council meetings times from 6:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., an idea that met with scrutiny from…
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Aurora launches effort to fix 14-year road maintenance backlog
Some neighborhood roads in the Saddle Rock neighborhood of Aurora have so many cracks and potholes, Bob Miller feels like he’s driving on a total “washboard road.” The local metropolitan district president reached out to the city roughly a year ago, seeking help from his council representative, Mayor Pro Tem Francoise Bergan. The roads built…
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Aurora councilmembers condemn anti-LGBTQ crime
The Aurora City Council has adopted a resolution condemning hate crimes perpetuated against the LGBTQIA+ community and calling on people to report incidents when they occur. Councilmember Crystal Murillo brought the resolution up for council consideration on Monday in response to the mass shooting that killed five at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado…
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Aurora leaders point to mental health resources following Club Q mass shooting
Leadership within the City of Aurora reacted with heartbreak following this weekend’s mass shooting at a LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs and pointed community members to mental health resources as they process the tragedy. Five people died and 18 more were injured after a gunman entered Club Q in Colorado Springs shortly before midnight on…
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Aurora green lights multi-million dollar homelessness reduction system
Aurora will begin work to overhaul its homelessness reduction system after a divided council approved a proposal that calls for a new campus, incentivizes people’s participation in supportive services and incorporates conditions people must meet to receive transitional housing. Council deliberated through nearly 17 proposed amendments to the resolution, sponsored by Mayor Mike Coffman, for…
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Divided Aurora council gives 2023 budget early approval
In a split vote, the Aurora City Council gave early approval to the proposed 2023 budget on Monday, but only after debate about eliminating two vacant positions — independent police monitor and a diversity, equity and inclusion office manager. Councilmembers who supported eliminating the roles said it was a no-brainer, and would save taxpayers from funding…
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Aurora council delays homelessness resolution after fiery debate
The vote on a proposal to overhaul Aurora’s approach to reducing homelessness was delayed Monday night after council clashed over a series of proposed changes. Mayor Mike Coffman has been putting together a resolution that directs the city manager to forge a new “comprehensive approach” to addressing homelessness in the city. A key part to…
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Aurora, Colorado officials hunker down in search of a viable homeless strategy
Aurora’s councilmembers weigh dueling ideas as they consider steps to revamp the city’s homelessness program following trips to Texas, where they explored models for reducing this social woe that plagues metro Denver. Metro Denver has been struggling to address homelessness, which jumped by 12.8% – from 6,104 to 6,888 – between January 2020 and January…