Pueblo mayor asks council to dissolve housing and homelessness commission; council split on next steps

Mayor Nick Gradisar asked Pueblo City Council on Feb. 22 to dissolve the city—ommission on Housing and Homelessness, saying the group had failed to produce the regular advisement and sustained participation the city needs.

The request followed a briefing by interim housing administrator Melissa Cook and program coordinator Alexis (Lexi) Romero Stewart, who outlined the commissionhistory and costs, and described several work groups that have pursued housing-needs assessments, developer summits and public narrative work.

Why it matters: Councilors and the mayor argued that Pueblo needs a sustained, accountable vehicle to identify and advance housing and shelter projects, but they disagreed on whether that vehicle should remain under the mayor dministration or be reconstituted to report directly to council. The meeting produced no final vote; council asked staff to return with a plan.

Most of the briefing came from Melissa Cook and Alexis Romero Stewart, who described the commissionhistory and recent restructuring. Cook said the commission began in 2018 and was formalized by Resolution 14,151 in January 2019. She told council the city has spent roughly $158,600 on administration of the…