Tag: Francoise Bergan
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Aurora council debates ARPA nonprofit grants
Last year the Aurora City Council approved using pandemic recovery funds to support nonprofits working in the city with grants — but when it came time to sign off on the projects, not all lawmakers were happy with who was getting money. In January 2022, the city council approved allocating $2.5 million in American Rescue…
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Aurora City Council to discuss grants, meeting rules and fire chief
The Aurora City Council will vote on multiple issues next week that have generated debate among lawmakers, from pandemic relief grants to proposals that would change the way councilmembers conduct meetings. Some of the proposals are included in the consent agenda, meaning that if a councilmember does not request an issue be voted on individually,…
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Call for the question: Aurora City Council debates meeting rules
The Aurora City Council Monday began examining and discussing some of its meeting rules that can affect councilmembers’ ability to speak during meetings and in how the public can participate remotely. Mayor Mike Coffman is proposing that the city council repeal a meeting rule named “Call for the question,” which allows council to end debate…
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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 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 Police, civil service commission battle for hiring power
The Aurora Police Department chief of police blasted the city’s Civil Service Commission on Monday saying the group is crippling the agency’s ability to hire officers amid a staffing crisis. Interim Chief Dan Oates voiced strong support for a proposal to shift hiring power from the independent civilian commission back to the city’s fire and police…
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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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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 lawmakers consider building new campus to curb homelessness
At a price tag of at least $50 million, some Aurora City councilmembers proposed to construct a new campus for the homeless that would offer not only a place to live but also services to aid their transition to self sufficiency. The vision emerged out of city officials’ travel to two cities in Texas and…