Speaker 2: Lebanese. Two days, 234 has been adopted. All right, we're onto the bills for introduction 148. We had three councilmembers. Councilmembers, Flynn, Ortega, Newsome. Let me ask if there's anyone that wants this called out. Councilman Flynn, did you want to call it out?
Speaker 3: No, just a question, Mr. President.
Speaker 2: Councilwoman Ortega, question. Councilman, new question. Perfect. All right, we'll start. Councilman Flynn, you're up.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. President. I am curious if someone from the National Western Center project. Hi. Can tell me whether the general wonder whether the money we are appropriating from the general fund is that later repaid by project funds? Are we reimbursed for that as as is common with other projects.
Speaker 9: Good evening. My name is Gretchen Haller and the city's deputy CFO and also the new deputy of the mayor's office of the National Western Center. This appropriation would be a use of approximately 1.3 million of general fund contingency that would not be repaid. This would otherwise have been represented in the city's appropriation ordinance that goes through each year under each budget calendar year. And it would have looked like a traditional I know we call it the long bill appropriation, but for the timing, we were not able to include it in the 2016 year budget when it went through, so this would not be repaid through project proceeds. An example of something that will be paid for through project proceeds would be for the project and program management and those would be capitalized will cost. These are costs to stand up general fund and similar staff to support the delivery of the project.
Speaker 3: Can you explain the difference a little better than that?
Speaker 9: Sure. When you I sometimes call it spending money to spend money, unfortunately. So we've got an $856 million project that we need to deliver much as we do deliver the capital program for public works, for which we have generally general fund full time employees similar to on the better Denver program we had, we introduced new Limited staff to help us deliver those construction projects across purposes. It's similar here that we need some folks on staff to be able to manage the delivery of the $856 million project. And that would be different than the folks that manage the line items for tracking the budget and the construction. So an example would be some of the accessory work that we do to deliver the it's the executive director position. It's an assistant to that person, it's a communications person. So they are impacting the $856 million project, but they're not overseeing the construction elements. Oversight of the construction elements would be a capital sizable cost.
Speaker 3: So in your in your opinion, this is a these are general fund expenses, not project costs.
Speaker 9: Yes.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Mr. President.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Councilman Flynn. Councilwoman Ortega.
Speaker 11: I just wanted to ask Gretchen if you don't mind staying up there. Sorry, I can't see you be on these. Sorry. The plant here. Can you provide us a list? I don't know that you have it tonight. Of all the additional approvals that will need to come through City Council on the National Western Project as it moves forward.
Speaker 9: I can give some examples right now and we can absolutely come forward with an anticipated list for 2016. Any of the contracts that we engage would come to City Council as usual. That would be more than half a million dollars for professional services or for some of the early construction work on the horizontal infrastructure remediation. Anything we do for early civil engineering. So any professional services or construction contracts, more than half a million dollars will come through city council, much as any construction project for the city.
Speaker 11: And that includes land acquisition, correct?
Speaker 9: Land acquisition already came through city council through a land acquisition ordinance. So what we've committed to do is do regular updates on a number of subjects that otherwise would not come to city council triggered by a contract requirement. And the things that we've heard you all ask for and we can add to this list are updates on land. I believe we are scheduled tentatively and Shelley Smith has this on the June agenda. Also governance. As we move through and before we are ready with any actual contract work, we'd come to City Council with updates and similarly on workforce and and hiring issues relating to the delivery of the site.
Speaker 11: Okay.
Speaker 9: Thank you for.
Speaker 2: Thank you, councilwoman. Take a councilman new.
Speaker 12: Gretchen this had an had a relationship to the vote on two c, right?
Speaker 5: Correct.
Speaker 12: Because if if that had not passed, then this money would never have been asked for. Correct. So the whether it was asked in the budget now beginning or as now, it has the same effect on the contingency fund. Right.
Speaker 9: Correct? Yes. This was something that if and we are so fortunate and think the voters for the passage of to see. But had it happened occurred had it occurred earlier in the calendar year it is something we would have we would have planned for in our regular budget. And we are fortunate enough to be able to use contingency to plan for it now.
Speaker 12: Thank you.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Councilman new councilman Espinosa.
Speaker 7: I was just noting here, it's more of a comment. I mean, what does this say about our priorities that an office that manages a fraction of CD nine has a budget ten times the size of the Councilman Brooks's office? This noting that I just would be, you know, it just seems crazy to me because all of these contracts that you're talking about, they're going to end up right here. And so. I don't know. It just strikes me as I'm sure we are.
Speaker 9: We are hopeful, as was envisioned in the master plan, that this is a site that transcends Council District nine, though it is a great impact to Council District nine. But we are hopeful that this is an opportunity for us to diversify and build on our general economy in Denver, that jobs on the site will be citywide, that workforce and training and all the other benefits of the site are citywide.
Speaker 7: While it's not only ten times his budget, but it's like a quarter of the entire city council tax, you know? Right. Pretty impressive. Thanks.
Speaker 2: Thanks. Councilman Espinosa, Councilwoman Gilmore, you're up.
Speaker 5: Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted.
Speaker 9: To respond to.
Speaker 5: My colleague, Councilman Ortega's request. We have been working very closely with Gretchen and her team Kelly Lead and Jeff around the acquisition side and making sure that IT Finance and Services Committee, they are coming forward every quarter to report on new updates.
Speaker 9: Unfortunately, the second.
Speaker 5: Quarter there was internal work being done. And so we look forward to having you at the Finance and Services Committee in June. And then I.
Speaker 9: Believe Kelly Lead is going to start.
Speaker 5: Up his electronic newsletter again. And so there will be additional updates that are coming forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. President.
Speaker 2: Excuse me. Thank you, Councilwoman Gilmore. Councilman Brooks.
Speaker 7: Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to make a couple comments. I appreciate my my colleague here, Mr. Espinosa, but this is a local project. This is a project with global reach and local focus. And it's like none other we've ever seen. And so it's a it's an incredible investment. I had a lot of folks comment on this particular bill coming through. My view of it is it's real. Now, this is $1.3 million to take care of the administration and legal help as well. And we are investing that in the general fund. But the question was, and I think some of my colleagues have help answer it, but just to be very clear, those dollars from to see can they be used for administration. Administrative help, administrative administration of the facility.
Speaker 9: No, not. And I'll add, I would want to defer to the attorneys that helped us draft the ballot measure on this one.
Speaker 7: Great.
Speaker 5: It's really a gentleman with the city attorney's office. That's what you're really asking, is a federal tax question as to how those proceeds can be expended. We would have to use.
Speaker 9: Proceeds from the taxable bonds, which, of.
Speaker 5: Course, we're trying to limit how many how much taxable debt we have to issue because it's has a higher interest rate. And then, of course.
Speaker 9: You're paying interest.
Speaker 5: On those because they are not otherwise capital sizable with tax exempt debt.
Speaker 7: Does that help? Yeah. So legally we could.
Speaker 5: Legally you could, but only with the taxable portion.
Speaker 10: Of the proceeds.
Speaker 7: Financially, it wouldn't be prudent. For us.
Speaker 5: It doesn't seem.
Speaker 1: Good.
Speaker 5: And working and working with Gretchen's team, this is the kind of these are the kinds of expenses in a lapsing budget that we're being really transparent about, that we pay that we pay out of general fund.
Speaker 7: Yes. So, you know, I just wanted to get that back to constituents in District nine and throughout the city of Denver. It's important that they understand what these funds are used for and the issue with using taxable funds.
Speaker 10: And this is actually.
Speaker 5: A really transparent way to do it, in my.
Speaker 7: Opinion, and also one in our even know date. Just know that I'm there once a month. We have open and public meetings around all of our agenda items and issues that we're doing for this year for the Executive Committee of the National Western Center. And that is on the third Thursday.
Speaker 9: You know, I apologize. I don't have that calendar in front of me, but that is something that we can send out. There are public meetings for the Executive Oversight Committee for the National Western Center. I would add that our partners are there equity partners in the site. Colorado State University and the National Western Stock Show and Western Stock Show Association. They are taking similar measures to stand up teams around the delivery of the site in addition to their equity participation for the construction of the project. I know that National Western is hiring an owner's rep right now. CSU is adding members to its team and those costs are being paid for by each entity individually. Yeah.
Speaker 7: It's the third Thursday of every every month in the web building and Councilman Cashman would be excited to know that it's public comment as well. So folks can come and, you know, comment on what they've heard. But we want to we want to let everyone know this is a completely transparent process and we think the voters for being a part of it. Thanks.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Councilman Brooks. Councilman, new.
Speaker 12: I guess I just think you've did a great job with the budget for this. And and I want to assure my colleagues, I went over all the figures with them with a fine tooth comb and they did a super job. And I did not see any kind of supplemental appropriation for Councilman Brooks budget at all. I just want to make sure the public. No, no, no, that's not happening. So congratulations on a great job and I know this will be very successful.
Speaker 9: Thank you.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Councilman there, Councilman Cashman. I knew you're going to ring it.
Speaker 8: Thank you, Mr. President. Well, I. I very much appreciated Councilman Espinoza pointing out the poverty situation in Councilman Brook's budget. And I have a $20 bill. I'd be glad to pass his way any time that can be helpful. And also to defame Councilman Brooks for his support of the concept of the importance of public comment. Thank you, Mr. President.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Councilman Cashman. All right. I think that was everyone on 148. Thank you, Gretchen. All right. Our next one was 147. Councilman Flynn, what would you like for us to do with this?
Speaker 3: Thank Mr. President. Just a brief question, if I could, Angela, would you be willing to add one of these we addressed in an email earlier? But it seems that, Mr. President, this is a project to add an onramp to southbound I-25 from from southbound Broadway, one that is sorely needed, because everybody knows the left turn there under the highway is is pretty miserable and backs up traffic. So it's very well needed. But I was concerned that we don't yet know the scope of the property acquisition. There's a number of buildings along that strip between exposition and Ohio and we don't know how many buildings we're going to have to acquire yet. And how will that affect the budget?
Speaker 9: Right. So we are still in the process of engineering this project and that's why they don't have the full extent of what the land acquisition will be.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm.
Speaker 3: Okay. And finally is see that building the project and we are a funding partner. Are we taking the lead on this?
Speaker 9: I'm going to ask Janice Finch to come up here and answer that question.
Speaker 3: Okay.
Speaker 5: Good evening, Janice Finch from Public Works.
Speaker 7: This is a project that is funded through federal funding, that goes through seed, through Dr. Kong, the Regional Council of Government, and then to Denver. And we are actually building it.
A bill for an ordinance making a supplemental appropriation from the General Contingency Fund for the operations of the new Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center to support delivery of the November 3, 2015 voter approved ballot measure 2C to design and construct Phases 1 and 2 of the National Western Center.   
 (FINANCE & SERVICES) Approves a supplemental appropriation request of $1,335,500 from the General Fund 2016 Contingency Fund for operations of the new Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center to support delivery of the 2015 voter approved ballot measure (2C) to design and construct Phases 1 and 2 of the National Western Center. The Committee approved filing this bill at its meeting on 3-22-16.