Speaker 1: Councilmember Sawyer has called out Bill 62 for a comment and under pending, no items have been called out. Secretary, if you please put the all the items, I guess, that are called out on our screens. And Councilmember Sawyer, if you're going to make your comments on all four items, as my understanding wants to go ahead with your comments on items 55, 56, 62 and 63.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Mr. President. I've called out these items tonight because they are the items on tonight's agenda related to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Speaker 10: I have serious concerns.
Speaker 2: Around the way this agency is interacting in my community. I've voiced these concerns up the chain of command, and frankly, I haven't received the the support that I would like to from our city leadership. This leaves me wondering where is the accountability here to the people of the city and county of Denver? It is unacceptable that the department that provides our infrastructure lacks accountability to my community.
Speaker 4: And to the community and.
Speaker 2: To the residents of Denver. The behavior of Dottie has potential consequences to the health, safety.
Speaker 4: And.
Speaker 2: Welfare of our residents. I'm not sure if these glitches are reflective of a failure of leadership or of the structural changes resulting from the transition from Denver Public Works to Dottie. But it doesn't really matter because its consequences to my team and my community are the same. In several instances, my office has come up against significant barriers that have prevented us from doing our jobs effectively, and my residents are frustrated.
Speaker 4: And concerned.
Speaker 2: About the safety of their families. This lack of accountability to the people.
Speaker 4: Of the city and county of.
Speaker 2: Denver is exactly why I brought my original charter change proposal, which would require city council approval of mayoral cabinet appointees based on the current experience. I plan to expand the reach of that proposal. My original plan tonight was to call these contracts out for a vote so that I could vote against them as a council member. Contract approval is one of the few powers that I have. Unfortunately, in our strong mayor system, the only the mayor can direct actions of city agencies.
Speaker 4: So when an agency makes it.
Speaker 2: Clear that it is unwilling to collaborate with another department, or in my case, city council office, my options are limited and contract approval is one of the only levers I have left. That said, I would like to try and find a more collaborative solution. Instead of voting no on these contracts tonight. I would like to ask my fellow council members to join me in writing a letter to Mayor Hancock detailing the issues that any of our council offices are experiencing.
Speaker 4: With the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Speaker 2: I am hopeful that together we can use our collective voice as a council to impress upon the Mayor's office these concerns in a way that inspires action. That my voice alone hasn't been able to achieve. I look forward to discussions with my fellow council members on this issue later this week. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Councilmember. All right. That concludes the items to be called out this evening. Councilwoman Black, did you get in on this one? Yeah.
Speaker 2: Go ahead. Just in response to Councilwoman Sawyer's.
Speaker 10: Concerns, I see that we.
Speaker 2: Do have our director of Dotty here in the audience, Euless, Clerk Lee. And I feel like in a matter of fairness, that he should be able to respond to that.
Speaker 6: So. Okay.
Speaker 11: Thank you very much, Councilwoman Black, and I appreciate the opportunity to come and speak to this action. And greetings and good evening to everybody here on council. So I appreciate the detail of why these were called out by Councilwoman Sawyer. However, I completely disagree with the characterization that you just uttered. We have 1400 employees here in our department, many of whom actually work in your districts. These folks get up every single day. They actually face harm every single day. They are contested on the work that we do. We have folks that are heavy equipment operators that put their lives at risk. We have planners and designers and people that build our city infrastructure and we take our job seriously. We not only take our job seriously, but we are always willing to work with every single one of you on council, as well as all of our communities and all of our stakeholders to make sure that we are building the best city in the country. We have some of the best people and some of the best professionals that you will be able to find throughout the country. I have worked in 15 different cities, in 15 different states, so I'm kind of disappointed that I had to come up and actually defend our staff that get up every day to make a sacrifice, to work on your behalf, to work on your constituency's behalf, to make this city much better. I did have conversations with Councilwoman Sawyer. She brought to me some of the issues. And just keep in mind, this is an issue between Councilwoman Sawyer and one one employee in our department. She addressed and came to me with our concerns. I listened to her feedback. The following week I made an action and came up with the solution to address her concerns. And yet I am here today, so I do not agree with this type of tactic. I think what it ends up doing is putting us at risk from a department is essentially sabotages our way to deliver projects and services that are and puts the city at risk, the entire city at risk because there's an interpersonal issue with one councilmember and a Department of Transportation and infrastructure employees. So I encourage you, the councilwoman, to continue to work with us. We are committed to make sure we work with not only you, but all of the council. We are in this together and we want to do what's best for the city, and we do not agree that this is the right tactic moving forward. So I welcome your partnership. Thank you.
Speaker 1: All right. Thank you. Seeing no other speakers. Council member CDEBACA.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Mr. President. Just a real quick question. Would it be possible to postpone this to a date certain so that there could be some collaboration? That that's absolutely fine with me? Like I said in my statement, I actually had originally.
Speaker 4: Planned to vote the contracts down and had changed my mind.
Speaker 2: After discussion.
Speaker 4: And had instead.
Speaker 2: Reached out.
Speaker 4: In my statement to council.
Speaker 10: Members to ask.
Speaker 4: You.
Speaker 2: All to, you know, work with me to write a letter to the.
Speaker 4: Mayor, you know.
Speaker 2: To have this discussion and and to bring any concerns that any council offices are having with this organization and this agency to the mayor's office to really deepen this conversation all the way around. You know, but what I what I was certainly.
Speaker 4: Not expecting in.
Speaker 2: Response to that was a personal attack from the director of the agency on this evening and standing here. Do you have particular issues with this contract? No, I do not with the four contracts that were called out tonight. Okay. Thank you.
Speaker 6: No, thanks. Thank you.
Speaker 1: Okay. And Councilwoman Sawyer. So there's not a motion to postpone at this point? That's correct. You're not making a motion to postpone? No. Okay. Did you have anything else for you on her.
Speaker 2: Comments so that I could state my concerns with today as an.
Speaker 4: Agency? I think it's pretty obvious, based on the response of the executive director.
Speaker 2: That there is some significant concerns about lack of respect and.
Speaker 4: Congeniality.
Speaker 2: Between the.
Speaker 4: Agency and the.
Speaker 2: District five offices. And like I said, I would like to ask my fellow council members to write a letter with me about any concerns that any of our council officers might be having to further this conversation with the mayor's office.
Speaker 6: Great.
Speaker 1: All right, so you're all done with these for tonight?
Speaker 6: I'm all good.
Speaker 1: Okay. Thank you. All right. That concludes the items we've called out this evening. All bills for introduction are ordered published. Council members remember that this is a consent or block vote, and you will need to vote. Otherwise, this is your last chance to call an item out for a separate vote. Councilmember Ortega, will you please for the resolutions for adoption and the bills on final consideration for final passage on the floor?
Speaker 8: Be happy to do so. I move that following resolutions and bills on final consideration be moved forward in a block, starting with. Resolution number 54, 55, 73, 56, 63, 74, 75 and 132. Those are our resolutions. And now bills for final consideration are Council Bill 61, 67, 62, and that is it.
Speaker 1: Thank you. It has been moved and seconded. Madam Secretary, roll call black.
Speaker 2: I said. Abarca, i.
Speaker 0: Flint, i.
Speaker 6: Herndon, I. Hines.
Speaker 7: Hi.
Speaker 4: Cashman. Hi, Kenny.
Speaker 8: Ortega. Sandoval.
Speaker 2: Hi. Sawyer. Hi.
Speaker 4: Torres. I council. President.
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm. I'm secretary. Please close the voting. Announce the results.
Speaker 4: 12 US.
Speaker 1: 12 eyes. The resolutions have been adopted and the bills have been placed upon final consideration and do pass. Tonight there will be a required public hearing on Council Bill 1381, changing the zoning classification for 2060 West Colfax Avenue, and a courtesy public hearing on Council Bill 71 amending Section 867 of the Denver Re my revised municipal code
A resolution approving a proposed Master Purchase Order between the City and County of Denver and AM Signal, Inc. for Hirschmann ethernet switches and accessories used at traffic signals to support the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure.
Approves a master purchase order with AM Signal, Inc. for $500,000 and through 12-12-22, with two possible annual renewals, for Hirschmann ethernet switches and accessories used at traffic signals to support Public Works Transportation Operations, citywide (SC-00004507). The last regularly scheduled Council meeting within the 30-day review period is on 3-2-20. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 1-28-20.