Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Colorado Mesa University proposes long lease, city staff say deal cuts city subsidy and funds stadium upgrades
Summary
City staff and Colorado Mesa University presented a proposed 25-year lease under which CMU would take operational control of the football stadium, pay roughly $300,000 a year for leased land, fund a new on-site football facility (~$7 million) and assume larger shares of field maintenance; council asked staff to draft a formal agreement for a public hearing.
Colorado Mesa University presented a proposal for a long-term lease and operating partnership focused on the city-owned football stadium, with CMU pledging capital investment and the city aiming to reduce ongoing taxpayer subsidies.
City Manager Mike Bennett told the council the updated concept preserves existing community uses while shifting a larger share of operational and capital responsibility to CMU. "Currently CMU's user fee is $36,705 for 2026," Bennett said, adding that after other revenues the city's net cost to operate the football side of the facility is about $301,172 for the 2026 budget year. Under the concept staff discussed, CMU would pay roughly $300,000 per year to lease the ground beneath a new football facility and would fund construction of that…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
