Denver council moves into closed session on litigation; members preview neighborhood workshops, stormwater open house and Red Rocks transit demonstration

Deputy Mayor Al Gardner read a motion and the Denver City Council voted to move into an executive session to discuss settlement of pending litigation and receive legal advice, then heard announcements about neighborhood outreach, a stormwater open house, community cleanup and a multimodal demonstration to Red Rocks.

The motion, read by Deputy Mayor Al Gardner, invoked the Denver Revised Municipal Code, Section 2-34(a), subsections 3, 6 and 7, “for the purpose of discussing the settlement of pending litigation and legal advice related thereto.” The motion was “probably moved and seconded,” and the roll was taken with those present responding “Ayes,” after which the council went into executive session.

Why it matters: Executive sessions remove deliberations from the public record and are used when the council seeks confidential legal advice or to discuss pending litigation. The announcements that followed concern neighborhood organization outreach, local infrastructure planning and public events that affect multiple Denver neighborhoods.

Neighborhood outreach

Councilman Paul Cashman said the council is holding a series of interactive public meetings about registered neighborhood organizations and how the city delivers information to residents. Cashman said one meeting is scheduled in Northeast Denver on Saturday the 20th from 10 a.m. to noon at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. He and colleagues said the series includes an Oct. 15 session at Cook Park Recreation Center from 6 to 8 p.m. and a virtual session set for Wednesday, Oct. 29. Cashman and other speakers said the outreach follows roughly 40 community events this past summer intended to collect residents’ views.

Stormwater open house: Goldsmith Gulch

Councilwoman Diana Romero Campbell invited residents to an open house on the Goldsmith Gulch stormwater project, set for the following evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. She said the project — a multi-year effort looking at gulch drainage and related improvements — is being coordinated by the City and County of Denver and the Mile High Flood District. The session location is listed as 7535 East Hampton Avenue, Building 2, main floor (the building that has a Big Brothers Big Sisters sign), and Campbell asked residents to attend and provide feedback.

Community cleanup, office hours and other events

Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer announced a District 5 fall community cleanup on Sunday, Sept. 28, at 8:30 a.m. at Montclair Recreation Center; she said last year volunteers contributed more than 400 hours. Councilman Darren Watson said he will hold monthly community office hours Friday, Sept. 19, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Mike King's Ice Cream, 2851 Colorado Boulevard. Councilwoman Chantal Lewis outlined three budget-related community events, including a Budget Book Club on Sept. 24 at Whittier Cafe and an Oct. 4 conversation about budget proposals at the Carla Madison Recreation Center.

Red Rocks multimodal demonstration

Councilman Darren Watson described a multimodal demonstration scheduled for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. that will begin at the Jefferson County Government Center at the end of the RTW line and offer alternative travel options to and from Red Rocks and through Morrison and Golden. Watson thanked elected officials and staff from Jefferson County, Golden, Lakewood, Morrison, Denver Parks and Recreation and Mountain Parks, and a collaborative group he named as GEFCO and Denver for two years of planning. He said the demonstration is an initial step ahead of a fuller program planned next year.

What the council decided

The only formal action recorded in the transcript was the council’s unanimous vote (indicated by “Ayes”) to enter executive session under Denver Revised Municipal Code 2-34(a), sections 3, 6 and 7 to discuss settlement of pending litigation and receive legal advice. The transcript notes the motion was moved and seconded but does not name the mover or seconder.

The meeting then proceeded into the closed executive session; no public votes or policy adoptions were recorded in the public portion of the transcript.