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Northglenn pushes state bill and town hall as residents press to bar registered offenders from transitional homes
Summary
After residents raised safety concerns about a nearby mental health transitional living (MHTL) facility, Northglenn lobbyist Adam Berg told council the city is sponsoring CML-initiated legislation seeking a 1,000-foot school buffer; council voted to hold a town hall and continue advocacy as the temporary agreement limiting placements expires this spring.
Northglenn officials on Feb. 9 responded to residents’ complaints about operations and neighborhood safety at a state-operated mental health transitional living (MHTL) facility and affirmed a push for statewide legislation to limit placements of registered offenders near schools.
City lobbyist Adam Berg told the City Council the Colorado Municipal League (CML) has initiated a bill to create a uniform 1,000-foot limitation from schools that would bar certain placements at MHTL homes across the state. "We feel the state is placing violent individuals in the homes without proper disclosure to the city," Berg said, citing frequent emergency calls to specific Grant Drive addresses and noting a temporary, two‑year state commitment not to place registered offenders will expire this spring.
Why it matters: Residents and council members said the facilities, which were created under House Bill 1303 (2022) to provide transitional care, have created local safety and transparency concerns in some neighborhoods. Speakers at the meeting described repeated police responses and at least one recent stabbing near a facility, and urged a permanent ban on registered offenders living at MHTL sites close to schools.
Public comment: Multiple residents asked the council to press for a durable restriction. Melissa Ryan, who said she helped organize opposition in 2024, told council the temporary agreement will end in April and urged a permanent ban. "If they can't regulate what they have now, then this cannot be happening," Ryan said, citing what she said were numerous calls for service and a stabbing linked to the facility.
Council response and next steps: Council members and staff discussed the legal and policy history. Berg traced the issue from Senate and House bills that created MHTL provider types and funding to the city's emergency ordinance No. 1863, which temporarily increased distance limits within the municipality. He said the city worked with Adams 12 School District and other stakeholders and will ask Rep. Lori Goldstein and Sen. Kyle Mollica to carry the legislation in the 2026 session. City Manager Geier asked whether council wanted a public town hall; council voted unanimously to schedule one to gather broader neighbor input before the legislation proceeds to committee.
What remains unresolved: Berg said the city has not yet received a formal written commitment from the state and that the city has not received a response to a letter sent to Michelle Barnes, executive director at the Department of Human Services, asking for operational accountability. The proposed bill language limits placements within 1,000 feet of schools but would not prohibit placements at other sites.
The bill is expected to be introduced in the coming week; council and staff said they will coordinate public notice and seek opportunities for public testimony as the measure moves through committee.
