The Denver City Council has given initial approval to a massive bond package for the November ballot, marking progress on a hot-button issue that could impact city finances and its capital investments for years to come.
The $950 million “Vibrant Denver” bond, approved on first reading late Monday, would pay for nearly 60 projects if council members give the list their final thumbs-up next week — and if voters approve the proposal on Election Day. If the bonds pass, the projects included in the list are intended to begin immediately and are scheduled to take only six years to complete.
“It allows us to control our own destiny amid federal funding and state funding shortfalls,” said Patrick Riley, the bond program manager, in remarks to the council Monday.
Included in the list are $75 million for a newly consolidated first responder training center, another $75 million for road improvements and to build a railroad underpass at the National Western Center, $70 million for the buildout of a city park at the former Park Hill Golf Course, and $39 million at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for backstage expansion and accessibility improvements.
The most expensive project — and the one that has gotten the most scrutiny — is $89 million set aside for improvements to the Eighth Avenue viaduct. Another $50 million would go to repairs and improvements on the nearby Sixth Avenue viaduct.
Council members and residents have raised their eyebrows at the proposals, which are next door to the Burnham Yard site where the Denver Broncos are considering building their next stadium. City officials have said there are other factors at play, too, including the viaducts’ deteriorating conditions.
On Monday, council members took several votes on proposed amendments before giving first-reading passage to the five ballot questions — which are broken down by project type — and a separate measure that contains the project list. The vote on the latter was 10-3, with Shontel Lewis, Chris Hinds and Flor Alvidrez voting no.
The members generally said they were waiting to comment on the package as a whole until it’s up for the final vote next Monday.
The votes come after a tense back-and-forth between the council, the mayor’s office and community advocates over the project list in recent weeks. Mayor Mike Johnston announced the bond process in February. In the months since then, the city has hosted 50 public neighborhood input meetings.
Project ideas were then whittled down by several topic-specific committees and, finally, an executive committee. The mayor’s office then presented a final list to council members — several of whom responded with frustration about the list and the process.
But after negotiating with council members and tweaking the projects included, the mayor’s office lined up enough votes to move forward.
If approved in November, the ballot measures would allow the city to sell $950 million in bonds and use the borrowed dollars to pay for capital improvements. They would then pay back the bondholders over time through property taxes. The bond proposal wouldn’t raise taxes, officials say, because it would replace existing debt that the city is paying off now.
If voters rejected the proposal, however, taxes could go toward paying down current bonds faster.
The bond projects fall into five topics: transportation and mobility, parks and recreation, health and human services, city facilities, and housing and shelter. A full list is available online.
Monday’s council votes came after an hourlong public hearing in which residents shared their opinions on the list. Some complained about the allotment for specific project ideas, like the viaducts, and others criticized the lack of dollars allocated to safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.
Some said they don’t want to see the city take on new debt at all. Police escorted one man, Jason Bailey, who runs the organization Citizens For No New Debt, out of the chambers. The public comment period had ended before he got a chance to speak, and he began shouting at council President Amanda Sandoval.
Council members had the chance to offer amendments to the list. But only one change to the allotments, from Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer, was approved. The change took $18 million from the housing allotment to go instead to the transportation and mobility fund. It would be earmarked to make safety improvements on 13th and 14th avenues between Colorado Boulevard and Quebec Street.
Sawyer criticized the description of potential uses under the bucket for housing as too vague. Housing still will have $32 million remaining after the amendment.
Earlier in the day, Johnston’s office sent out a release announcing the addition of $15 million for the American Indian Cultural Embassy, bringing spending for that project up to $20 million and allowing construction costs to be covered. The change came after negotiations with Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, who represents the far-northeast district where the center would be located.
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