DENVER — Mayor Mike Johnston’s Vibrant Denver bond package is a step closer to making November’s ballot after a Denver City Council committee voted to advance the proposal on Tuesday.
Some council members have warmed up to the proposal, though others remain concerned about projects that didn’t make the cut.
A couple of weeks ago, Denver7 reported how some members were upset that a preliminary list didn’t include cost estimates.
“I'm confused as to why they weren't on there,” Denver City Council Member Stacie Gilmore, who represents District 11, told Denver7 at the time.
Others were disappointed that proposed projects in their districts were left off the list.
“I am disappointed to say the least,” said Denver City Council Member Diana Romero Campbell, who represents District 4.
The mayor’s team met with council members to hear their concerns and released a revised project list late last week.
Fifteen new projects were added, including $20 million for a new recreation hub and skate park in southeast Denver and various traffic safety projects across the city, adding up to about $19 million.
Discussions with the mayor’s team appear to have paid off with several council members seeming to come around.
“You will have my full support of this package,” Gilmore told members of the Johnston administration on Tuesday.
But Councilman Chris Hinds, who represents downtown Denver, was the lone "no" vote on Tuesday.
“I continue to have concerns,” Hinds said.
He said suggested projects from his district, such as a new pedestrian bridge and funding for important traffic studies, remained off the list, while at the same time the city plans to spend $70 million from the bond on the future Park Hill project, which Mayor Johnston has championed.
“I want to make sure that we have all of those foundational questions answered before we dedicate $70 million to a project, which I'm not sure is as shovel-ready as some of the other projects, particularly in District 10,” Hinds said.
Denver City Council Member Darrell Watson has been a big supporter of the Vibrant Denver bond proposal and remains one. But he worries about adding more to a list that's already mushroomed to $935 million.
"This is an important moment in time, but we have to be sober,” Watson said. “$900 million is a lot of money. We need to make sure that the projects that we place in this bond are projects that our neighbors need and want."
The council will hold a public hearing on Monday. Information about how to sign up to speak can be found here.
A final vote is expected on Aug. 4.
If approved, it will go to voters in November.
