Wheat Ridge council approves amendment to hotel licensing code after police cite drop in hotel-related calls

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — The Wheat Ridge City Council on Monday approved an ordinance amending sections 11-5-61 and 11-5-69 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws to change reporting requirements for the hotel licensing program and to update how calls for service tied to severe-weather shelters are counted.

Deputy City Manager Ali Scheck told the council staff was implementing council direction to remove the required 18-month update and to remove a named severe-weather shelter network from the code because the network “is no longer in action.” Chief Martha of the Wheat Ridge Police Department delivered statistics she said demonstrate the program's effect: an aggregate drop in calls for service at hotels from an average of 1.68 calls per room per year in 2022 to 0.48 calls per room in 2024, and a fall in total unfiltered calls at hotel addresses from 2,344 in 2019 to 1,302 in the most recent calendar year presented.

The police chief said that, excluding one property that is being sold, the city’s I-70/Kipling hotel totals project a 73–74% reduction in calls for service compared with earlier years. “I think that's a remarkable achievement,” the chief said, adding that the change reflects a citywide effort and has helped the department reduce crime generally.

Councilor Dan Larson asked for clarification on how the ordinance’s 1.5 calls-for-service metric is calculated; Chief Martha explained it is the number of calls for service at a hotel divided by the number of rooms and that council initially set the target at 1.8 before giving hotels time to reach 1.5. Councilor Larson also summarized the licensing requirements included in the code: maintaining the 1.5 calls-per-room rate, participating annually in the city-certified crime-free hotel/motel program, completing corrective actions from annual inspections, complying with the city's landscape inspection program and applicable building codes, and filing an approved Wheat Ridge Police Department security plan.

Mayor Pro Tem Corey Stites moved adoption of Council Bill 13-2025 on second reading, to amend the cited code sections, order publication and set the ordinance to take effect 15 days after final publication under section 5.11 of the charter. Councilor Janice Hoppe seconded. The clerk recorded eight ayes, no nays and the motion carried.

Councilors and the police chief framed the outcome as a combination of enforcement standards and property owners choosing to comply or sell. Councilor Rachel Holting said the problem “felt unsolvable” when she first joined the council and praised the partnership between policy and staff that led to reduced calls and more housing options.

The ordinance language approved Monday (Council Bill 13-2025) removes the mandatory 18-month reporting requirement and updates the call-for-service exclusion language to reflect the dissolution of the named severe-weather shelter network. The council did not add further amendments during floor discussion.

The ordinance will be published as required and take effect 15 days after final publication.

Votes and formal action taken on this item appear below in the actions section and in the Votes at a glance article.